Iran is one of the historic destinations with numerous Antiquities from prehistoric, and ancient Islamic eras, that are kept in Iran museums. Tehran is home to lots of famous museums in Iran and is well-known as the City of Museums. Although Tehran is not the first option for travelers because of its crowded streets and annoying traffic, the calm atmosphere of the museums can make you forget the chaos in the city. Here, we are going to describe the best museums in Tehran which help you to get familiar with the art and history from ancient times until today in Iran.
National Museum of Iran
National Museum is the best choice for those who want to obtain whole information about the rich heritage of Iran. This museum is the most important in Iran and consists of two buildings, ancient Iran and the Islamic era that provide you with an excellent perspective on various aspects of Iran’s history. It is extremely recommended to be visited on the first day of your travel to know about the rich history of Iran at the beginning. It is situated at 30 Tir Street, in Tehran, and is close to Golestan Palace and the Grand Bazaar of Tehran so you can visit them all in one place.
Carpet Museum of Iran
The Persian carpet is a wonderful manifestation of Iran’s art known for its high quality, antiquity, and extraordinary designs reminding the Garden of Eden. Visiting this museum is interesting for everyone who travels to Iran because can make a sense of appreciation for the thousands of years of elegant works done by the artists of Iran. This museum is the best place to learn more about the wonderful art of Iran means the Iranian carpet. For those who are fond of art, the wide range of variety in patterns, forms, and colors of Iranian carpets is unbelievable and pleasant. This museum is situated in Laleh Park of Tehran.
Contemporary Art Museum of Iran
The history of Iranian arts is not just back to ancient times, you can discover many wonderful and modern works among Iranian artists. This museum was designed by Kamran Diba in 1977 and is home to the spectacular works of famous artists. It is situated on the other side of Laleh Park in Tehran and you can find sculptures, paintings, drawings, and prints here. Despite the existence of Iranian artworks, some masterpieces are made by international artists like René Magritte, Pablo Picasso, Auguste Renoir, Jackson Pollock, Paul Gauguin, etc, these masterpieces were collected by Farah Pahlavi personally.
Jewelry Museum of Iran
Jewelry Museum is situated in the Central Bank of Tehran, Iran. It was opened to the public in 1992 and it is located on Ferdowsi Street in Tehran. In this museum, you can find the most precious and dazzling collection of gemstones and jewelry which are known in the world. Jewelry Museum of Iran is similar to a huge underground safe box that is protected with many safety guards. Seeing the Jewels Crown of Iran was one of the people’s legends in the past, but now it has been placed in public sight. This museum has a limited schedule, it’s from Saturday to Tuesday from 14:00 to 16:30. This wonderful complex consists of jewelry like pearls, emeralds, diamonds, rubies, etc. Another most famous piece of jewelry in this museum is called the Darye-ye Nur Diamond which is the biggest pink diamond in the world.
Reza Abbasi Museum
Reza Abbasi Museum is situated on Shariati Street in Tehran and is one of the richest collections in Iran both in culture and history. This museum is named after Reza Abbasi a well-known painter of the Safavid Dynasty. The complex is kept in this museum back to the 2nd millennium BC, which is related to the end of the Qajar period. Reza Abbasi museum is three floors building and each floor is devoted to a special collection: on the first floor, you can find a rich complex of Iranian calligraphies and miniatures. The second floor is the place of Islamic arts like pottery, metal, and textile masterpieces that back to the Seljuk, Safavid, Timurid, and Qajar dynasties. The third floor is home to ancient works of Iran where you can find objects from the Parthian, Achaemenid, and Sassanid empires.
Glassware and Ceramic Museum of Iran
The Glassware and Ceramic Museum of Iran which is called “Abgineh Museum” too, is another wonderful museum in Tehran. This museum is the place of an extravagant complex of glassware and ceramics which belonged to various eras in the history of Iran. It is located at 30 Tir Street, an old street in Tehran. This museum has two floors and displays a valuable complex of ceramics and glassware from ancient civilizations of Iran like Parthians and Seljuk ceramics. In this museum, not only the collection but also the building itself is worth a visit.
Saadabad Palace
The Saadabad Palace was built by the Pahlavi Family of Iran and it is located in the Shemiran (north) of Tehran. This Palace was the summer construction of the Qajar Family and has an area of 110 hectares. The Saadabad Palace is a fantastic place to discover Iran’s history, culture, and mythology. First, Reza Shah lived there in the year of 1920s. After that, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi moved there in the 1970s. And, after the Iran revolution, this Palace became a museum. The Saadabad Palace is more often known as the Green Palace. The name of this Garden comes after the pearl green stones which are rare and cover the outside of the Palace building.
Golestan Palace
Golestan Palace is the oldest historical place in Tehran which belongs to some royal buildings and is the result of 400 years of repair and restoration. The elaborate Golestan Palace is a masterpiece of the Qajar period which is representing a blend of ancient Persian architecture and crafts with Western influences. Golestan Palace illustrates a modern style that is as well as the house of traditional arts and crafts and origins of 18th-century technology and architecture. The privileged example of this complex is the center of Qajar architecture and arts and it is considered the origin of inspiration for Persian artists to now.
Niavaran Palace
Niavaran Palace is another historical place in Iran located in the north of Tehran with an area of about 11 hectares. This Palace belongs to the Qajar and Pahlavi periods and has several museums and buildings, Sahebqraniyeh Palace, Howz Khāneh museums, Jahan Nama museum, Royal Library, and Royal car museum, etc., exist inside this complex. Sahebqraniyeh Palace backs to Naser al-Din Shah of the Qajar family time. in 1968, the main building of Niavaran Palace was completed, and before the Iranian Revolution, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi lived there with his family. It was designed by Mohsen Foroughi, an Iranian architect.
As the garden was the place of producing cane sugar, and in Farsi, this name is called “Ney”, so priory this complex was titled “Ney Avaran”, after a while, it changed to “Niavaran”.