Dar ul-Funun

Tehran


Established in 1851, this was Iran's first modern university and parts of it have recently been handsomely restored with the aim of making it into a museum on education. The courtyard houses a peaceful garden designed in the shape of the Union Jack flag with the surrounding walls featuring snippets of Persian poetry inscribed on decorative tiles.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Tehran attractions

1. Imam Khomeini Sq

0.13 MILES

Ringed by perpetually seething traffic, Imam Khomeini Sq is not a place to linger. Little of the grandeur of the Qajar era remains here, although there is…

2. Tejarat Bank

0.14 MILES

The late 19th-century building housing the first public bank in Iran sits at the east end of Imam Khomeini Sq. At the time of writing the brick building…

3. Ebrat Museum

0.29 MILES

There's nothing subtle about the graphic displays (suitable for adults only) in the one-time prison of the shah’s brutal secret police. A prime example of…

4. Golestan Palace

0.31 MILES

The glories and excesses of the Qajar rulers are played out across this complex of grand buildings decorated with beautifully painted tiles and set around…

5. Portal of Bagh-e Meli

0.33 MILES

The decorative gateway to the National Garden complex of museums and government buildings, dates from 1906 and was renovated in 1922 by the Minister of…

6. Ministry of Foreign Affairs

0.38 MILES

Building No 9 of Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs occupies the former Shahrbani Palace on the pedestrianised street once know as Barg-e Melli (National…

7. Malek National Library & Museum

0.38 MILES

On display at this private museum and library are pieces from the collection of Hadji Hussein Agha Malek, in the 1930s one of the richest men in Iran. The…

8. Islamic Museum

0.41 MILES

Next door to the National Museum, and part of the same complex, this museum offers a stunning collection of arts and antiquities from throughout the…