Tehran, the bustling capital, is home to numerous historical monuments, but few know about the city’s first public statue—a significant symbol of shift toward modernization during the Qajar era. The first statue erected in Tehran was that of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar, the fourth king of the Qajar dynasty, who ruled from 1848 to 1896. This bronze statue was installed in the late 19th century in Toopkhaneh Square, a central public space that was developed under his reign as part of Tehran’s urban transformation.