The complex was initially built and inhabited by Qajar dynasty of monarchs in the 19th century. After extensive expansions, Reza Shah of the Pahlavi Dynasty resided there in the 1920s. His son, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, moved there in the 1970s. In 1978, President Jimmy Carter stayed in the palace during a visit to Pahlavi Iran to guarantee U.S. support for the regime. After the 1979 Revolution, the complex became a public museum.