Iran - Andrew Burke [75]
Designed by French architect André Godard, it’s one of the more attractive modern buildings in Tehran, blending Sassanian principles such as the grand iwan-style entrance, with Deco-style brickwork. Inside you’ll find a marvellous collection, including ceramics, pottery, stone figures and carvings, mostly taken from excavations at Persepolis, Ismail Abad (near Qazvin), Shush, Rey and Turang Tappeh. Unfortunately, the presentation of these treasures is less than inspired and the lack of thorough explanations can be frustrating. There is some English labelling and an English-speaking guide is available, though you’ll probably have to wait around to get one. If you can’t wait, be sure to ask for the informative ‘brochure’ when buying your ticket.
Among the finds from Shush, there’s a stone capital of a winged lion, some delightful pitchers and vessels in animal shapes, and colourful glazed bricks decorated with double-winged mythical creatures. A copy of the stone detailing the Code of Hammurabi found at Shush is also displayed – the original being in Paris.
Exhibits from Persepolis include a magnificent human-headed capital; a cuneiform inscription from the Talar-e Bar proclaiming the might and godly affinity of Xerxes; and a striking frieze of glazed tiles from the central hall of the Apadana Palace. Also on display are a famous trilingual inscription from the time of Darius I; a bull-headed capital and carved staircase; a statue of a sitting dog that looks like it was carved just weeks ago; and four foundation tablets inscribed in cuneiform.
One of the more startling exhibits is the Salt Man from Zanjan. He’s thought to have been a miner who died in the 3rd or 4th century AD, but whose white-bearded head, leg in a leather boot and tools were also preserved by the salt in which he was buried. Rather more comical is a bronze statue of a prince, perhaps Parthian, whose huge bristling moustache looks out from a head obviously made separately from the body and better suited to a smaller monument. Look also for the impressive selection of Lorestan bronzes (see the boxed text), dating back to the 8th century BC.
Entry is from Si Tir St – it’s behind the small park on the corner of Imam Khomeini Ave. There’s a small coffee shop (9am-6pm) in a courtyard behind the National Museum of Iran.
MUSEUM OF THE ISLAMIC PERIOD
Next door to the National Museum and part of the same complex, this museum (Map; 6670 2061; Si Tir St; admission IR5000; 9am-5pm Tue-Sun, to 5.45pm summer) had been closed for some time when we passed, but staff assured us it was due to reopen in 2008. When it does, you’ll find a modern building containing two floors of exhibits from a selection of Islamic arts, including calligraphy, carpets, ceramics, woodcarving, stone carving, miniatures, brickwork and textiles. Don’t miss the silks and stuccowork from Rey, portraits from the Mongol period, a collection of Sassanian coins and gorgeous 14th-century wooden doors and windows. Look also for the beautiful Paradise Door, a 14th-century lustre-painted mihrab (niche in a mosque indicating the direction of Mecca) from Qom, and a 19th-century inlaid door from Esfahan.
Captions should be in English, and – in theory – English-speaking guides will be there to show you around. In the past there was no printed guide, but a plastic-coated page of explanations was available if you asked.
To see both museums you should probably allow two to three hours.
IRAN EBRAT MUSEUM
There is nothing subtle about the Iran Ebrat Museum (Map; www.ebratmuseum.ir; off Sabt St; negotiable admission IR50,000; tours starting 10am & 2pm Wed-Mon), a one-time prison of the shah’s brutal secret police that now exhibits that brutality with an equal measure of pro-revolution propaganda. The prison is an incongruously attractive building, with