Museum of the Qasr Prison was one of the oldest political prisons of Iran located in Tehran. This prison has been turned into a museum since some years ago.
Museum of the Qasr Prison is one of the historical and cultural centers of Tehran. This museum is situated at one of the oldest palaces of the Qajar era. This old palace was located on the top of a hill and has included four watchtowers on the four corners. Qasr means a palace in English. Due to the lack of windows, it was like a military fort instead of a King's palace. There was a balcony above the garden gate that has created a beautiful view of the Shemiranat, Tehran, and the other surrounded buildings.
This palace had various uses for a long time. Finally, it was completely ruined by Reza Shah and has been turned into a prison. It was the prison of apolitical prisoners after the Iranian Revolution. This prison has been changed into the Museum of the Qasr Prison in 2003. Currently, only the Qajar mansion has remained, and the northern lands are at the disposal of the Law Enforcement Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Military Court.
When you enter the Qasr garden, you will see the prison building, which is known as the Markov Museum. This building consists of 192 cells that the 96 of them has a capacity of five persons, and the other cells are a single cell. Nikolai Markov was a Russian architect who was selected by Reza Shah to focuses on choosing a suitable place to build a centralized prison. On the right side of the entrance of this building, there is a glassy cell like a pavilion which some old automobiles are kept there.
Due to the climate of Tehran, you can visit the Museum of the Qasr Prison during all seasons.