From fuel station to museum
Story of Darvazeh Dowlat Gas Station
By Sadeq Dehqan
and Leila Imeni
The emergence of gas stations, as places that supply fuel and lubricants for vehicles, has a long history in many countries. Today, gas station museums are a staple of the cultural and heritage centers in most of these countries.
Interestingly, the initial supply of gasoline was done in certain parts of the world by pharmacies. For instance, Bertha Benz, the business partner and wife of Karl Benz, the German inventor of the automobile, filled her car’s tank for the first time in 1888 at the first gasoline seller, a pharmacy in the city of Wiesloch, Germany. She was the first person to drive a motor vehicle with an internal combustion engine over a long distance. Later, the first fuel station in the world was built in 1905 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
The Darvazeh Dowlat Gas Station Museum is the first such museum in Tehran, located at the entrance of Sa’di Street. The original building of this facility was constructed in 1938 and it began operations in 1940. This site was active until 1995, after which it was closed due to the passage of the metro line beneath it.
The gas station museum is situated right behind the entrance of a metro station, on a dead-end alley named Fiat, which remains memorable due to its unusual name. Fuel Station No. 6, or the Darvazeh Dowlat Gas Station, was built in the late 1930s by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company for the distribution of petroleum products such as kerosene, gasoline, and oils. This historical complex retains its traditional architecture, arched vaults, and colorful tiles from ancient times. In August 2014, it was registered as a national heritage site by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts.
The building of this gas station, which had been abandoned for years, has been utilized as a museum since 2019.
In an interview with Iran Daily, Maryam Esmaeili, the director of the Darvazeh Dowlat Gas Station Museum, discussed the history of fuel stations in Tehran and the establishment of the museum.
History
Esmaeili said that this gas station is, in fact, the third oldest fueling facility in Tehran and the only remaining one from that generation of old gas stations, dating back to the rule of first Pahlavi government.
She continued, stating that in 1937, the land of this establishment was purchased from the son of Arbab Keykhosrow, whose father was a well-known contemporary political figure. Just a year later, the energy station was built and opened. It was constructed near the site of the former Darvazeh Dowlat (Dowlat Gate). In 1930, in an effort to expand Tehran, several of the city’s old gates were demolished, including the historic Darvazeh Dowlat.
She mentioned that in a section of a book published by Armed Forces Geographical Organization in 1951, for the first time, 13 old fueling facilities in Tehran were introduced as gas sales shops. In this list, although Darvazeh Dowlat Gas Station is considered the third built in Tehran, it is referred to as the sixth gas sales shop.
She added that the first gas station in the capital was established in Amirieh neighborhood, located at the Gomrok Square. The second one was situated on Enghelab Street at the intersection with Vusal Shirazi Street.
Esmaeili said that the structures of all the old gas stations of Tehran mentioned in the book have been destroyed, and only the one at Darvazeh Dowlat neighborhood remains. However, the structure of the fourth gas station of Tehran, located on 15 Khordad Street, is also intact, but since it has not been well restored, its structure has deviated from its original form.
She pointed out that since 2014, the oil industry museums and documentation centers have gradually been established. At that time, it was decided in the Oil Ministry to utilize places and structures related to the oil industry in various cities for this purpose. One of these places is the current location of the Darvazeh Dowlat Gas Station Museum.
“When the idea of establishing the museum took shape, I personally began working as its executive supervisor. My colleagues and I wrote various content scenarios regarding the restoration of the structure, its layout, lighting, and so on. The original building was preserved as it was, and only some of the tiles on the façade of the building were restored. Ultimately, the museum was inaugurated in July 2019, and I continued to work as the museum director,” she continued.
Sections
The museum features both open-air and covered areas. Given that the museum was built on the site of a gas station, the open space served as the location for vehicles waiting to refuel, while the covered area housed the administrative and auditing offices of the gas station.
Currently, the open space is dedicated to interesting museum sections, showcasing nostalgic stories and environments, including the oil distribution system from years past, classic cars, and a treasure trove of products that provided warmth to many homes until just a few decades ago, illuminating areas without electricity.
In one part of the museum, a line of statues stands alongside containers, reminiscent of the old days when people had to wait in long queues for subsidized oil to heat their homes during the cold winter days and nights.
Classic cars
In another section of the museum, at the vehicle refueling area, several vintage cars are on display, including an old Volkswagen, which structurally differs from all other cars, as its engine is located at the rear and the fuel tank is under the front hood. Next to it is a Benz 190, whose color recalls the old taxis in the capital, which were originally black and white when taxi services were first established in Tehran. Later, the color of taxis in Tehran changed to orange and is now yellow.
Another vehicle displayed alongside these cars is a Peugeot 504 belonging to Mohammad Javad Tondgouyan, the first Iranian oil minister after the victory of the Islamic Revolution. In November 1979, at the beginning of the Iran-Iraq War, he was captured by Iraqi forces while visiting the Abadan refinery on the road from Mahshahr to Abadan. After an unknown period of torture, he was martyred.
“We found the car during a trip in 2019 with some officials from the oil industry to Abadan. Since we wanted to have a symbol of the former oil minister in the museum, we transferred it to Tehran,” Esmaeili explained.
She also mentioned an old school bus in the museum and said, “During this trip, we visited three old buses in Abadan that were used in the past to transport the children of oil industry personnel between their homes and schools. We brought one of these buses to the museum. This old bus, which has an interesting design, particularly attracts the attention of students visiting the museum.”
Additionally, there is a very old fuel tanker with the Leyland brand in the museum, located in a corner of the open space next to the drainage pond. Ismaili noted: “At that time, Iran was one of the shareholders of this reputable automotive company, and most of our old tankers are from this brand. This fuel tanker dates back to 1948 and is one of the last surviving fuel tankers that were used to transport products to gas stations during those years.”
This museum features triple tanks for kerosene, gasoline, and diesel, displayed with ground showcases, illustrating the fuel transfer path to the tanks and from the tanks to the platforms.
In the Health and Safety Executive station (HSE), devices and equipment such as explosion-proof phones, handheld extinguishers, buckets filled with sand, alarm bells, and vapor discharge pipes are showcased. Another section of the museum displays a diverse collection of the oldest to the most modern pumps, highlighting the evolution of fuel pumps for visitors.
According to Esmaeili, the oldest item in the museum is located in this section: A red French pump, manufactured in 1920, which is about 100 years old. The pumping operation of these pumps was done manually, which is why people who worked at fuel station were referred to as pump operators at that time.
Three rooms
The main and historic building of the gas station consists of three rooms, each dedicated to specific topics. In Room One, documents related to the history of the Darvazeh Dowlat neighborhood, the land purchased for the oil company known as Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, the formation and operation of the gas station, along with photographs, maps, and historical films of this station are displayed.
In Room Two, the world events chronicle and the Iran events chronicle (related to the history of gasoline and fuel stations) feature a display board of fuel rationing documents and coupons in Iran, as well as showcases of regular and super gasoline, diesel, black oil, kerosene, motor oil, and insecticides for visitors to see.
Room Three showcases how gas pumps work and their components. This section includes tools and equipment such as a dual-sided gas pump, its disassembled parts, a cutaway of a nozzle device, various types of these devices, and display cases featuring manuals for gas pump devices, motorcycle and car fuel tanks, various gasoline gauges, and more.
Activities and events
Esmaeili also explained the activities of the museum and said although it is not very large in terms of size, it is considered a dynamic museum. It has been selected several times as one of the top museums in various fields.
As you know, there are about 180 museums in Tehran, whether under the supervision of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Tourism or other organizations.
Last year, Darvazeh Dowlat Gas Station Museum ranked first among small state museums in terms of creativity and innovation.
Additionally, 11,000 visitors visited the museum during the 11 days of the Nowruz holidays last year, which is considered a record, and the museum was also commended for this.