National Museum of Iran

National Museum of Iran

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National Museum of Iran

The National Museum of Iran (in Persian: ???? ??? ????? M?ze-ye Mill?-ye Ir?n, or ???? ????? ?????? Muze-ye Irân-e Bâstân, "Museum of Ancient Iran") is an archeological and historical museum located in Tehran. It preserves ancient Persian antiquities including pottery vessels, metal objects, books, coins etc. It was inaugurated in 1937.

The museum consists of two buildings. Building One is dedicated to the pre-Islamic collection, while Building Two contains post-Islamic artifacts.

Building One consists of three halls. The three halls contain artifacts from the lower, middle, and upper Paleolithic, as well as the Neolithic, Chalcolithic, early and late Bronze Age, and Iron Ages I-III, through the Median, Achaemenid, Seleucid, Parthian, and Sassanid periods.

<gallery> Image:Iwan Muzeh melli.jpg|The main entrance of building-1 of the museum is built in the style of Persia's Sassanid vaults, particularly the iwan of Ctesiphon. Image:Muzeh Melli side.jpg|The building itself was designed by French architect Andre Godard in the early 20th century. He also helped design the main campus of Tehran University. </gallery>

The post-Islamic part of the museum was inaugurated in 1996 and consists of three floors. It contains various pieces of pottery, textiles, texts, artworks, astrolabes, and adobe calligraphy from Iran's 1,400-year Islamic history.

The original museum (Building One) was designed by Andre Godard, a French architect. It is located in central Tehran.

Plans are underway for the construction of a new building, as the current one lacks the capacity and standards for preserving all of Iran's excavated treasures. There are a number of research departments in the museum, including the Center for PaleolithicResearch, Center for Achaemenid Research, and Center for Ceramic Studies.

Collections

The oldest artifacts in the museum are from Kashafrud, Darband and Ganj Par, sites that date back to the Lower Paleolithic period. Mousterian stone tools made by Neanderthals are also on display in in the first hall. The most important Upper Paleolithic tools are from the Yafteh Cave, dating back approximately 30,000-35,000 years. There are also 9,000 year old human and animal figurines from Teppe Sarab in Kermanshah Province among the many other ancient artifacts.

Some of the museum's permanent collections are routinely loaned to other notable museums such as the British Museum in London.

<gallery> Image:SurenaImage.jpg|Parthian figure, possibly General Surena, found in Mal Amir, Luristan (classical Elymais), a key statute in the National Museum of Iran. Image:Museh Melli.jpg|The Achaemenid collection of the museum is in the 3rd hall. Image:Museh Melli3.jpg|The Elamite and prehistoric collection is located in the first hall. A decorated bowl from the 4th Millennium BCE from Fars is seen in the foreground. Image:Wheel Iran.jpg|An ancient spoked wheel on exhibit in the Luristan (2nd) hall. Image:Saltman1.jpg|Head of the Salt Man, a prestigious man buried in a salt mine near Zanjan. </gallery>