Art And Culture
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Dolls Museum Reopens at New Venue in Tehran

The International Dolls Museum currently has over 1,500 dolls from 64 countries
Dolls of various nationalities displayed at the museum.
Dolls of various nationalities displayed at the museum.

The International Dolls Museum in Tehran reopened on Friday, October 7, on the occasion of National Children’s Week (October 6-12).

The museum was founded two years ago by expert in children’s literature Masoud Nasseri and photographer and author Ali Golshan with the support of actress Fardieh Nasseri.

Initially, the museum was housed in a rented place on Tehran’s Pasdaran Street where its collection of dolls from various nations was displayed. But unable to afford a monthly rent of 80 million rials ($2,230), it was forced to shut down in June and vacate the premises.

But supporters and enthusiasts did not leave the museum to its fate and ran an online campaign to create awareness about it. A number of people and NGOs came forward and extended support to the museum, and eventually, the ‘House of Familiar Friends’, a cultural-artistic institute, founded eight months ago and located at No 11, Taban Alley, Southern Naft Street, Mirdamad Blvd took over the task of housing the dolls’ collection.

Two collections of dolls were unveiled at the reopening ceremony; one was donated by healthcare specialist Dr. Shamsoddin Mofidi, 94, and the other created by puppet maker Mahboubeh Noursalehi.

  Promoting Cultural Growth

The institute’s aim is to promote cultural growth with a particular focus on literature. It has now temporarily housed the International Dolls Museum, until the District 12 Municipality renovates a building in its jurisdiction as the new venue for the museum in a few months.

Institute manager Sara Borqei, 35, told IRNA that the house is equipped with video surveillance and is a safe place for the dolls.   

At the previous venue of the museum two robberies took place in which a video projector, computers, precious hand-made fabrics and over hundred dolls whose value could not be estimated, were stolen.

Borqei hopes that the dolls would draw children to the cultural institute where they would be invited to take part in literary and artistic programs such as storytelling, story writing, and poem reciting and speech practice.

“Promotion of Persian culture and literature is among the main goals of this institute. Unfortunately children and young adults are unaware of the cultural and literary assets of the Persian language,” she said.

The institute also conducts educational courses on well-known Persian poets Ferdowsi (940–1020), Sa’di (1203-1291), Attar (1145-1221) and Rumi (1207-1273), Borqei added.

The International Dolls Museum currently has over 1,500 dolls from 64 countries.

 

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