It consists of gardens, royal buildings, and collections of Iranian crafts and European gifts from the 18th and 19th centuries.

[3] The origin of the Tehran's royal citadel can be traced back to July 6, 1404; when Ruy González de Clavijo, the envoy of Enrique III, traveled to Samarkand to meet with Timur, and he chose to stay at the house of Baba Sheikh (one of the elders of Tehran).

[4] The beginning of the royal citadel can be traced back to the time of Suleiman I,[5] with the construction of a palace in the Chenaristan area, a Divankhane where Soltan Hoseyn in the last year of his reign meet with the Ottoman government's ambassador, Ahmad Dari Effendi.

The palace was rebuilt to its current form in 1865 by Haji Ab ol Hasan Mimar Navai.

Dating back to 1759, this building was a part of the interior residence of Karim Khan of the Zand dynasty.

Water from a subterranean stream (the shah's qanat) flowed from the fountain into the pond and was later used to irrigate the palace grounds.

The Diamond Hall is located in the southern wing of the Golestan Palace, next to the Windcatcher Mansion.

The building underwent major renovations, including structural changes, during the reign of Naser ed Din Shah.

A clock presented by Queen Victoria to Naser al-Din Shah and mounted atop the building was repaired in 2012.

There is an early photographic collection at the Golestan complex which includes photos which are mainly related to the time of the 19th-century progress of photography in Europe.

It is mentioned that "photography was so common at the royal palace that the king's wives and his servants also took pictures and posed playfully in front of the camera."

On 23 June 2013, it was proclaimed as world heritage site during the UNESCO meeting in Phnom Penh.