Museum of Ancient Iran

The Museum of Ancient Iran is a brick building in Tehran that holds collections spanning from the earliest human settlements to the Islamic periods. The exhibits spread across multiple floors, each organized to guide visitors through different phases of the region's long history.

The building was designed and completed in the 1930s by a European architect who drew inspiration from ancient Persian architectural traditions. The structure reflects the period when the nation decided to preserve and display its archaeological heritage through this institution.

The collection tells the story of how people organized themselves across different eras in this region. Walking through the galleries, you encounter objects that shaped daily life, from pottery used in kitchens to seals that marked important transactions.

The building is organized in a way that makes it easy to move through the different sections. Start with the lower levels if you want to follow a chronological path through time, then move upward to see more recent periods.

The building itself was one of the first modern museum structures in the region and helped establish new standards for housing collections. Its design merges Western museum concepts with local architectural elements in a way few institutions attempted at that time.

Location: District 12

Inception: May 11, 1934

Architects: André Godard

Official opening: 1937

Architectural style: Pahlavi architecture

Made from material: brick

Part of: National Museum of Iran

GPS coordinates: 35.68706,51.41461

Latest update: December 13, 2025 11:40