Reza Abbasi Museum in Tehran
Reza Abbasi Museum in Tehran contains a collection of Iranian national
treasures. This invaluable treasure consists of historical and cultural
monuments dating from the pre-Christian era to the rule of the Qajar Dynasty.
There are both pre-Islamic and Islamic objects and works of art in the museum.
This museum displays the rich culture and history of the Ancient Persia, and
shows that the people of this land were pioneers not only in science, but also
in cultural and artistic fields.
If we decide to take a chronological walk around the museum, in the pre-Islamic
hall we see the objects dating from the sixth millennium BC to the late Sassanid
Empire (224 – 651). The people from this period of the history of Iran used, and
were inspired by, the surrounding nature, and made a lot of progress in
producing handicrafts, leaving us such valuable works. An examination of these
objects, most of which are made of gold and silver, suggests that they are from
such regions as Kermanshah, Lorestan, Azerbaijan, and the northern parts of
Iran, and date back to the time of the Medes (728 – 549 BC), Achaemenids (550 –
330 BC), the Parthians (247 BC – 224 AD), and the Sassanids. Such documents show
that the Iranians were a civilized, pioneering nation even before the advent of
Islam.
Having passed through the pre-Islamic hall, you enter the hall of the Islamic
period. In this section, you will see brass and clay pots, which date from the
early period of Islam to the reign of the Seljuk Dynasty (1037 – 1194). There
are also manuscripts in Kufic script which suggest the rise of Islam in Iran.
Next, the pottery of the Seljuk era with their golden, enamel and glazed designs
show the exemplary skills of the artists in that period.
In the second section of the Islamic hall, we witness the artistic taste and
creativity of the artists from Isfahan, Mashhad, and Kerman. In this period,
dating from the 7th and 8th centuries of the solar Hijri calendar (1300 – 1400)
to the Qajar era (1789 – 1925), there are images of humans and animals created
on dishes, as metal engraving, glazing and silverware were very common in that
era.
In the next hall, which is called the hall of miniature, there are various
versions of Shahnameh (The Book of Kings, the grand Persian epic by Ferdowsi) on
public display. The beautiful and magnificent arabesque used in other exquisite
Iranian books, each of which designed in a specific way, enchant any visitor. A
remarkable feature in this section is the exhibition of the miniatures and
paintings by Reza Abbasi, after whom the museum is named, as he had a truly
unique style. He was the son of the painter Mawlana Ali Asqar Kashi, Reza Abbasi
(1565 – 1635), himself the most famous painter under Shah Abbas the Great.
In this section, we also learn about the miniature style of the artists in the
Qajar era, who dealt mostly with natural elements such as birds and flowers, and
thus showed the delicacy and elegance of the Qajar art.
This museum also has other sections such as the calligraphy hall, the temporary
exhibition, and the library, all of which increase its charm.
Reza Abbasi Museum in Tehran is located in Shariati Street,
Tehran. It can be
reached via the metro line (Mosalla Station), or Seyyd Khandan BRT station.
9/1/2023 2:05:03 AM
