Karim Khani Nook (Khalvat – e – karim Khani)
In the northwest corner of the Golestan area, there is a roofed and pillared terrace. There was once a small pond with fountain in the middle of this terrace. Water from subterranean stream (The king’s qanat) flowed from fountain into the pond and later used to irrigate the royal gardens. The passage from Golestan's interior residence and garden to Diwan Khaneh and Marble Throne Hall used to be from this place, but during the time of Naser al-Din Shah, due to some structural changes in the buildings, that passage was blocked. This part of Golestan Palace, which is called Khalvat – e – Krim Khani, as its name suggests, is considered one of the old and historical places in two ways, first one is that the foundation of this building was laid in the time of Karim Khan Zand, and the second one is the unethical and unscrupulous action of Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar which was done in this place with the rotting bones of Karim Khan Zand. In 1206 A.H. and by the order of Agha Mohammad Khan, the remains of Karim Khan Zand's body were taken from the Kolah Ferangi mansion (the current location of the Pars Museum in Shiraz) to Tehran and buried under the stairs of Khalvat – e – Karim Khani which was the place of his daily passage.
After Agha Mohammad Khan, this part of the royal buildings was changed several times during the time of Naser al-Din Shah and turned into a small area called Karim Khani Yard, and it was separated from Golestan Garden by iron fences. Sometimes Naser al-Din Shah used to relax and smoke hookah in this cozy corner by the pond.
After the overthrow of Qajar dynasty and during the first Pahlavi period (January 1926) the order of searching under the stairs on the right side of Khalvat Karim Khani was issued. The workers, who were also from the Zand clan, under the supervision of Master Hossein Meidani, dug under the mentioned stairs and after digging some dirt, they took out the pieces of Shah Zand’s bones.
After collecting Vakil's bones, an order was issued from the Ministry of Court to the governor of Qom, and a place in the tomb of Shah Safi and Shah Sultan Hussein in Qom was designated, and the remains of his bones was buried in the mentioned place.
Currently, two important works of art are located in the Khalvate – e – Karim khani:
- Tombstone of Naser al - Din Shah
- The throne of Fath Ali Shahi
The tombstone of Naser al-Din Shah, which was previously located on Naser al-Din Shah's tomb at the Abdul Azim's Shrine, was moved to Golestan Palace at the beginning of the revolution, and after 17 years, it was placed in the Khalvat – e - Karim Khani. The dimensions of this stone is 131 x 249 cm. which shows the image of Naser al-Din Shah apparently in life size with a sword in his hand. Many decorations were carved in the margin, under the left foot of the king, it was engraved that this work was done by Abbas Qoli Hajjar, but historical sources mention the name of Ali Akbar Hajjar as the main creator.
The late Mohammad Ali Foroughi - Zaka al-Molk - wrote in his daily notes on Saturday, January 16, 1904:
"... For the tombstone of Naser al-Din Shah, they made the face of Naser al-Din Shah. Its famous mason is Mirza Ali Akbar. They say he is skilled in this craft. From what I heard, the foreman of this work is Amir Alam. I don't know who he is. The face of the king was taken from the works of Kamal al-Mulk and on all sides of stone the courtiers of Naser al-Din shah are engraved. They say that thirty thousand Tomans have been spent on it so far."
In the southern part of Khalvat – e - Karim Khani and next to the tombstone of Naser al -Din Shah, there is a marble throne which, according to the documents available in the Golestan Palace Visual Documentation Center, was located in front of the Exit and wind Catcher mansions for a while in the Qajar period, and was moved to this place in the second Pahlavi period. The poems around the sides of throne show that it belongs to the time of Fath Ali Shah, for instance “... king of six directions is Fath Ali Shah”.