A Peek Into National Museum of Iran's Hidden Treasures

The National Museum of Iran is planning to open part of its treasured collection to researchers, said director general of the museum Jebrael Nokandeh.

The treasures of both complexes at the National Museum, the Museum of Ancient Iran, established in 1937, and the Museum of Islamic Era, inaugurated in 1972, are being considered in this regard, Nokandeh told ISNA.

“World’s great museums have made part of their treasures accessible for researchers. In the current fiscal year (started March 20), we will make efforts to keep the underground section of the Islamic Era Museum ready  and also parts of the treasured collections at the Museum of Ancient Iran, for  the purpose.”

There are some 300,000 historical objects hidden among the museum treasures. As the first step, we can make some of the collections accessible to researchers and specific individuals. They, of course, can’t be exhibited to the public,” Nokandeh said.

But before the collections can be opened, the objects should be moved to their new places and this will happen after funding is available.

About the method of organizing the museum’s items, Nokandeh said the items are put on display only in chronological order; what materials they are made of, or what function they may have served, doesn’t figure in the arrangement.