National Jewels Museum

Lonely Planet review

Owned by the Central Bank but actually housed underneath the central branch of Bank Melli, this museum is probably the biggest tourist drawcard in Tehran. If you've already visited the art gallery at the Golestan Palace you will have seen the incredible jewellery with which the Safavid and Qajar monarchs adorned themselves. Come here to gawp at the real things.

Believe it or not, at least one war has been fought over these jewels. Most of the collection dates back to Safavid times, when the shahs scoured Europe, India and the lands of the Ottoman Empire for booty with which to decorate the then capital, Esfahan. However, when Mahmud Afghan invaded Iran in 1722, he plundered the treasury and sent its contents to India. On ascending the throne in 1736, Nader Shah Afshar despatched courtiers to ask for the return of the jewels. When their powers of persuasion proved unequal to the task, he sent an army to prove that he was serious. To get the soldiers off his back, Mohammed Shah of India was forced to hand over the Darya-ye Nur and Kuh-e Nur diamonds, a Peacock Throne (though not the one you'll see here) and other assorted treasures. After Nader Shah's murder in 1747, Ahmed Beg plundered the treasury and dispersed the jewels. The Kuh-e Nur diamond found its way into the sticky fingers of the colonial British and has been locked up in the Tower of London since.

You can pick up a guidebook at the shop as you enter , or take one of the regular and professional tours in English, French, German, Arabic or Turkish - it's included in the ticket price, and worth waiting for, as there are no descriptions in English. Make sure you don't miss the Darya-ye Nur (Sea of Light), a pink diamond weighing 182 carats and said to be the largest uncut diamond in the world; the Peacock (or Naderi) Throne outside the vault door; the tall Kiani Crown made for Fath Ali Shah in 1797; the crowns worn by the last shah and his wife, Farah; and the incredible 34kg Globe of Jewels, made in 1869 using 51,366 precious stones - the seas are made from emeralds and the land from rubies (with Iran, England and France set in diamonds).

Not surprisingly, cameras and bags must be left at reception and, unless you can hide it under your manteau (overcoat), you'll be forced to leave this book outside too. Be careful not to touch anything or you'll set off ear-piercing alarms.