Restoration work at the famous Shamsolemareh Clock in Golestan Palace in south Tehran is in the final stages and it will chime again in late August.
The clock, the finest edifice on the eastern wing of Golestan Palace and the first high rise in Tehran, will start working again, Mehr News Agency reported on its Persian website.
Last time the clock was repaired was in April 2017, and it revived the device from its 90-year slumber. The famous clock was gifted by British Queen Victoria (1819-1901) to Nasser al-Din Shah (1831-1896) of the Qajar Dynasty over a century ago. Its chimes annoyed the people who, at the time, used Golestan Palace as residence and court. In trying to reduce the unfriendly noise they damaged the clock.
The damaged clock was left unattended for almost nine decades until in 2010, master clocksmith Mohammad Saatchi, 82, was asked to take a look. He set the clock back in motion but only for 10 months. Both Saatchi and officials of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization knew the clock needed regular maintenance that meant availability of funds that seemingly did not exist!
The reunion of the veteran clocksmith and the clock took place seven years later in 2017 when he fixed the clock for the second time. This time ICHHTO signed a contract for one year with Saatchi as the keeper. Soon after the contract expired, the clock stopped. Now the contract has been renewed and it is agreed that the clock should be inspected and serviced on a monthly basis.
“We hope to hear the chimes on August 23 after the repairs are completed,” said the head of Golestan Palace Masoud Nosrati.
The palace is the only remnant of Tehran’s historical citadel, a collection of erstwhile royal buildings that were once enclosed within large thatched walls. The citadel was built during the reign of Shah Tahmasb I of the Safavid Dynasty (1501-1722). It was rebuilt in the time of Karim Khan (1705-1779) of the Zand Dynasty and was later turned into a residence and court for the Qajar rulers and courtiers from 1786 to 1925.
