Tehran, National Museum
Q1631008I think that one of the problems with modern museums is that they try to evoke some kind of mysterious atmosphere: in poorly-lit rooms, you can see only a couple of objects lying there, beautifully spotlighted, just looking mysterious. The illumination allows you to look at it from one point of view, but not from other angles. Photography is almost impossible. In other words, you cannot study the objects.
I get the impression that museums are now leaving this cul-de-sac, and return to decent displays. The Archaeological Museum of Tehran has never succumbed to ill-directed aestheticism, and this makes it, easily, one of the better museums dedicated to ancient culture.
This does not mean that there are no beautiful objects. The first part, dedicated to the Neolithicum and Bronze Ages, culminates in the pottery from Susa, which is just splendid. Recently, this part has been redesigned; several objects from the important excavations at Jiroft have been inserted, to name but one change.
Passing along a nice sculpture of a bovine from Choga Zanbil, you will reach the Iron Age, where you will find an Assyrian and an Urartian inscription, and countless small objects. They are interesting, but your attention is drawn by the great relief next to it, from the northern stairs of the Apadana in Persepolis. Next to it, about half-way through the exhibition, is the statue of Darius from Susa (more…). I visited the museum yesterday with an Egyptologist, who was fascinated by the hieroglyphs.
There are some other Achaemenid remains, including several inscriptions (like this one) and some fine art. Here, you will also see a Penelope in wet-drapery style, taken to Persepolis by either Xerxes or Mardonius.
Compared to the Achaemenid age, the Greek, Parthian, and Sasanian ages are a bit underrepresented. From the Greek age is a fine bust of a Muse, from the Parthian age is a splendid bronze statue of a prince (one of the few remaining bronze statues from Antiquity), and from the Sasanian age are the spooky salt men and some mosaics from Bishapur, made by Antiochene artists.
The museum has a treasury that contains precious objects, made of silver and gold, but it is often closed. Asking for permission to get there is futile. In this aspect, the Tehran Museum suffers from the same error as western museums: it creates obstacles for students. I think this is inexcusable. There is simply no reason why a museum should hide its entire collection from people who have made an effort to get there.
This being said, the Tehran museum is really something special. Next to it is the museum of Islamic Art, which has not been open for quite some time; I remember that I liked it very much. Around the corner you will find the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, situated in a building that is inspired by the Persepolis Apadana; and around another corner, you will find a charming museum dedicated to fine art made of glass. If you have only one day in Tehran, spend it in this part of the city.
This museum was visited in 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014.
100 pictures related to this museum
 Susa, Handle of a Parthian coffin |
 Persepolis, Apadana, Northern Stairs, Central Relief, Guard, Weight |
 Persepolis, Apadana, Northern Stairs, Central Relief, Pharnaces |
 Tepe Sialk, Cup from the first millennium |
 Susa, Stone fish |
 Susa, Statue of Darius, Subject 3lm'yn3 (OP. Armina = Armenia) |
 Persepolis, Tripylon, Staircase |
 Persepolis, Apadana, Northern Stairs, Central Relief, Darius |
 Susa, Sassanian portrait |
 Susa, Statue of Darius, Subject b3b3l (Babylonia) |
 Persepolis, Apadana, Dog's head |
 Persepolis, Apadana, Northern Stairs, Central Relief, Weapon carrier |
 Susa, Statue of Darius the Great, Base with sema-tawy (front) |
 Tepe Hisar, Late Bronze Age phial |
 Tepe Sialk, Cup from the fourth millennium decorated with a human figure |
 Persepolis, Treasury, Weight DWc |
 Susa, Statue of Darius, Subject sk3tl3 (OP. Skudra = Thrace) |
 Persepolis, Treasury, Statue of Penelope |
 Susa, Statue of Darius, Subject m'dy (OP. Mâda = Media) |
 Damghan, Sasanian relief |
 Persepolis, Palace of Darius, Doorknob with inscription DPi |
 Susa, Statue of Darius, Subject skdy (OP. Sugda = Sogdia) |
 Susa, Statue of Darius, Subject t3 tjmhw (OE. Tjemehu = Cyrenaica) |
 Susa, Statue of Darius the Great, left-hand side of the base |
 Achaemenid nobleman |
 Susa, Statue of Darius, Subject t3 nhsy (Kush) |
 Susa, Statue of Darius, Subject kmt (OE. Kemet = Egypt) |
 Persepolis, Apadana, Northern Stairs, Central Relief, Darius' flower |
 Head of a bronze statue of a Parthian prince, found at Shami, Khuzestan |
 Sari, Sasanian plate |
 Susa, Statue of Darius, Subject '3ylm "Chiefs of Irem" (Elam) |
 Tepe Hesar, Figurine |
 Persepolis, Apadana, Inscription XPg |
 Susa, Inscription A2Sb |
 Susa, Statue of Darius, Subject ch3rs3m' (OP. Uvârazmîy = Chorasmia) |
 Susa, Statue of Darius, Darius' name as cartouche: drjwS |
 Royal Warrior |
 Susa, Inscription A2Sd |
 Susa, Statue of Darius, Subject sdgw3? (OP. Thataguš = Sattagydia) |
 Yazdgard II |
 Susa, Statue of Darius, Subject sg?shkš (OP Sâka = Scythians) |
 Ardashir II (Hormizd I), coin |
 Iranian Azerbaijan, Disk with a deity with two wild animals |
 Bahram IV |
 Amulet of Bes from Iran |
 Persepolis, Apadana, Northern Stairs, Central Relief, Darius on his throne |
 Choga Zanbil, Ziggurat, Inner gate, Lock with Inscription |
 Persepolis, Apadana, Northern Stairs, Central Relief, Guards |
 Hamadan, Achaemenid cup with relief of a winged lion |
 Persepolis, Apadana, Northern Stairs, Central Relief, Great Magian |
 Susa, Statue of Darius, Subject slng (OP. Zranka = Drangiana) |
 Grey ware from Khurvin |
 Susa, Statue of Darius, Subject m'g (Maka) |
 Susa, Statue of Darius, Subject pls (OP. Parsa = Persis) |
 Persepolis, Apadana, Northern Stairs, Central Relief (Proskynesis scene) |
 Persepolis, Portrait of an Achaemenid woman or beardless prince |
 Persepolis, Palace of Darius, Relief of a sphinx |
 Susa, Statue of Darius the Great, Belt with akinakes |
 Hamadan, Achaemenid statuette of a bull |
 Tepe Sialk, Early first millennium beak pot (2) |
 Persepolis, Apadana, Northern Stairs, Central Relief, Prince |
 Persepolis, Queen's Quarters, Inscription XPf, Babylonian text |
 Susa, Statue of Darius, Subject gdpdk3y (OP. Katpatuka = Cappadocia) |
 Persepolis, Apadana, Northern Stairs, Central Relief, Guard, "Apple" |
 Susa, Statue of Darius, Subject s3htjl (OP. Bâkhtriš = Bactria) |
 Susa, Inscription A2Sb |
 Hamadan, Achaemenid rhyton |
 Persepolis, Inscription XPh ("Daiva inscription") |
 Persepolis, Apadana, Northern Stairs, Central Relief, Incense burners |
 Valkash |
 Tepe sialk, Jar from the fourth millennium BCE, decorated with ibexes |
 Persepolis, Hall of 32 Columns, Plaque |
 Susa, Statue of Darius, once erected in Egypt, but later brought to Susa. |
 Susa, Statue of Darius, Subject hlw3 (OP. Haraiva = Aria) |
 Iranian Azerbaijan, Stone weight |
 Persepolis, Apadana, Northern Stairs, Central Relief |
 Persepolis, Apadana, Northern Stairs, Central Relief, Weapon carrier, Akinakes |
 Persepolis, Apadana, Northern Stairs, Central Relief, Darius' stool |
 Persepolis, Queen's Quarters, Inscription XPf, Persian text (Tehran copy) |
 Hamadan, Sasanian dish |
 Susa, Inscription A2Sd |
 hndw3y (OP. Hinduš = India) |
 Susa, Statue of Darius the Great, Base with sema-tawy (rear) |
 Susa, Relief of Artabanus IV |
 Choga Zanbil, Ziggurat, Doorknob (Tehran) |
 Susa, Hellenistic portrait of a Muse |
 Susa, Statue of Darius, Subject 3Sw3l (Assyria) |
 Persepolis, Tripylon, Lamassu capital |
 Bahram V |
 Choga Zanbil, Inner Court, Statue of a cow |
 Bishapur, Palace, Mosaic of a lady with flowers |
 Peroz I |
 Susa, Statue of Darius, Subject spltj3 (OP. Sparda = Lydia) |
 Susa, Statue of Darius, Subject pltiiw3 (OP. Parthava = Parthia) |
 Hellenistic portrait of a queen |
 Susa, Statue of Darius, Subject Hgr (Hegra, i.e., Arabia) |
 Hamadan, Achaemenid torque |
 Susa, Inscription DSy |
 Susa, Statue of Darius, Subject hlhdy (OP. Gandâra = Gandara) |
 Yazdgard I |