Nasser-ol-Din Shah was very impressed by the exhibition of artifacts and valuable objects at European museums during his second European tour around 1872.  He arrived back in Tehran intent on building a museum hall to exhibit paintings, royal jewels, and other royal artifacts.

The original collection of the museum hall is now scattered among Tehran’s many museums. However, the paintings of the royal court are now kept at the Golestan Palace – with the European paints housed in the Hows Khaneh and the works of Iranian painters housed in the Neggar Khaneh.  Meant to show the evolution of painting in Iran during the Qajar era, the works of Iranian painters are exhibited in two sections.  Housed in the southern part of the Neggar Khaneh are the works of early Qajar masters such as Mirza Baba, Mehr Ali Afshar, Ali Akbar Khan Mozaien-ol-Douleh, Aboul Hassan Sani (Sanie-ol-Molk) who was Kamal-ol-Molk’s uncle.

The northern Neggar Khaneh, was the seat of the Royal Guard during the time of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.  The northern hall underwent substantial renovations in 1995 and now houses the works of later masters of the Qajar era such as Mahmoud Khan Saba (Malek-ol-Shoara), Mohammad Gafari Kashani (Kamal-ol-Molk), Mehri, Mosa Momayez.