Herat National Museum, National museum in Herat, Afghanistan.
The Herat National Museum occupies the lower section of the Qala Iktyaruddin Citadel and displays around 250 artifacts from a broader regional collection. The rooms contain objects from different historical periods that reflect the cultural diversity of the area.
The museum was established in 1925 by Emir Amānullāh and served as an important educational institution for the region. During regional conflicts, it suffered significant losses and a large portion of the collection disappeared over the years.
The collection displays pottery, metalwork, and manuscripts from different periods of the region. A notable piece is a tombstone dedicated to Behzad, a Persian miniature painter from the medieval period who holds importance in local artistic tradition.
The museum operates a conservation studio where experts from Herat and Kabul receive training in artifact preservation and work on collection care. Visitors should expect that opening hours and accessibility may vary depending on local conditions.
Archaeological excavations at the museum site revealed settlement layers reaching back approximately 2,600 years and spanning various dynasties. These layers lie beneath the Timurid cemetery and reveal the long human history of the location.
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