Museums in Iran
11 museums in Iran.
Top museums in Iran
Book and Documented Heritage Museum of Iran
Works on paper are the whole focus of the Book and Documentary Heritage Museum of Iran (موزه کتاب و میراث مستند ایران), an art and history museum that operates as one of the sections of the National...
Carpet Museum of Iran
Art museum
Persian carpets from all over Iran fill the exhibition hall of the Carpet Museum of Iran, a national textile museum beside Laleh Park in Tehran. The hall covers about 3,400 square metres, and the...
Malek National Library and Museum
Iran's first private museum, the Malek National Library and Museum (کتابخانه و موزه ملی ملک) is also one of the country's biggest libraries of precious manuscripts, and one of six large libraries in...
National Museum of Iran
Art museum
The world's largest and richest collection of Iranian antiquities is held by the National Museum of Iran (Mūze-ye Melli-ye Irān) in Tehran. With more than three million artifacts, it is regarded as...
Niavaran Palace Complex
Palace buildings and monuments from two of Iran's royal eras, the Qajar and the Pahlavi, make up the Niavaran Palace Complex (Majmue-ye Kākh-e Niāvarān) in Shemiran, in northern Tehran. Rather than a...
Reza Abbasi Museum
Named after Reza Abbasi, one of the artists of the Safavid Empire, the Reza Abbasi Museum (موزه رضا عباسی) holds a collection of Persian art dating back to the second millennium BC. Its holdings...
Sa'dabad Palace
Built by both the Qajar and Pahlavi monarchs, the Sa'dabad Complex (Majmue Saadābād) covers 80 hectares in Shemiran, in Greater Tehran. It is listed as an Iranian National Heritage site, and the...
Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art
Art museum
The Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, known as TMoCA (موزه هنرهای معاصر تهران), is considered to hold the most valuable collection of modern Western masterpieces outside Europe and North America....
Tehran Peace Museum
Memorial museum
The Tehran Peace Museum focuses on the health and environmental toll of chemical weapons. It was completed in 2007 alongside a memorial to the poison gas victims of the Iran–Iraq War (1980–88). It...
Treasury of National Jewels
Art museum
A collection of jewels so valuable that in the 1930s it served as a reserve for Iran's currency forms the core of the Treasury of National Jewels in Tehran, known on signs as موزه جواهرات ملی....
Museums by city in Iran
Iran’s museums reflect a long cultural history shaped by ancient empires, Islamic scholarship, courtly arts, and regional traditions. In Tehran, major institutions such as the National Museum of Iran, the Carpet Museum of Iran, and the Reza Abbasi Museum introduce visitors to archaeology, Persian painting, calligraphy, and decorative arts. Mooseum helps travelers explore these collections with clearer orientation and an easier way to compare museums before a visit.
The capital is the main museum hub, but important collections also appear beyond Tehran. In Mashhad, the Astan Quds Razavi Museum presents religious art, manuscripts, coins, and historic objects connected to one of Iran’s most significant pilgrimage centers. Palace museums such as Sa'dabad and Niavaran reveal aspects of modern royal life through architecture, furnishings, and art. Together, these sites show how Iran’s museums range from ancient material culture to more recent political and social history.
Visitors interested in books, archives, and material heritage will also find specialized institutions such as the Book and Documented Heritage Museum of Iran and the Malek National Library and Museum. These collections highlight Persian manuscripts, rare documents, and the scholarly traditions that shaped learning across the region. On Mooseum, travelers can browse museums by theme and plan visits that connect archaeology, textiles, palace history, and manuscript culture in a single trip.
Map of museums in Iran
Museums in Iran: questions
- How many museums are there in Iran?
- Mooseum lists 11 museums in Iran. Tehran has the most, with 10.
- Archaeological collections in Tehran trace Iran from prehistoric settlements to the Achaemenid, Parthian, and Sasanian periods.
- Palace museums including Niavaran and Sa'dabad offer insight into court life, 20th-century history, and royal architecture.
- Textile and decorative arts are a major strength, especially at the Carpet Museum of Iran with regional weaving traditions on display.
- Manuscript, document, and library museums preserve Persian calligraphy, rare books, archival materials, and Islamic scholarly heritage.
- Museums in Mashhad and Tehran together show both religious collections and secular art, giving visitors a broader view of Iranian culture.
- Museum opening hours in Iran can vary by season, weekday, and public holidays, so check schedules in advance before setting out.
- Tehran’s main museums are spread across different districts; using the metro plus short taxi rides is often the easiest way to combine several in one day.
- Large palace complexes such as Sa'dabad and Niavaran take more time than standard museums, so allow at least half a day for each site.
- Spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons for museum visits in Tehran and Mashhad, especially if you plan to walk through outdoor palace grounds.
All museums in Iran
Every museum in Iran listed on Mooseum. Search by name or type.
| Name | Type | Website | Links | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
— | museum.razavi.ir |  | — | |
Book and Documented Heritage Museum of IranWorks on paper are the whole focus of the Book and Documentary Heritage Museum of Iran (موزه کتاب و میراث مستند ایران), an art and history museum that operates as one of the sections of the National... | — | www.nlai.ir/museum | | — |
Carpet Museum of IranPersian carpets from all over Iran fill the exhibition hall of the Carpet Museum of Iran, a national textile museum beside Laleh Park in Tehran. The hall covers about 3,400 square metres, and the... | Art museum | carpetmuseum.ir | | — |
Malek National Library and MuseumIran's first private museum, the Malek National Library and Museum (کتابخانه و موزه ملی ملک) is also one of the country's biggest libraries of precious manuscripts, and one of six large libraries in... | — | www.malekmuseum.org | | — |
National Museum of IranThe world's largest and richest collection of Iranian antiquities is held by the National Museum of Iran (Mūze-ye Melli-ye Irān) in Tehran. With more than three million artifacts, it is regarded as... | Art museum | www.nationalmuseumofiran.ir/en | | — |
Niavaran Palace ComplexPalace buildings and monuments from two of Iran's royal eras, the Qajar and the Pahlavi, make up the Niavaran Palace Complex (Majmue-ye Kākh-e Niāvarān) in Shemiran, in northern Tehran. Rather than a... | — | niavaranmu.ir/# | | — |
Reza Abbasi MuseumNamed after Reza Abbasi, one of the artists of the Safavid Empire, the Reza Abbasi Museum (موزه رضا عباسی) holds a collection of Persian art dating back to the second millennium BC. Its holdings... | — | www.rezaabbasimuseum.ir | | — |
Sa'dabad PalaceBuilt by both the Qajar and Pahlavi monarchs, the Sa'dabad Complex (Majmue Saadābād) covers 80 hectares in Shemiran, in Greater Tehran. It is listed as an Iranian National Heritage site, and the... | — | www.caroun.com/Museums/IranMuseum/TehranMuseum/SadAbadMuseum.htm | | — |
Tehran Museum of Contemporary ArtThe Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, known as TMoCA (موزه هنرهای معاصر تهران), is considered to hold the most valuable collection of modern Western masterpieces outside Europe and North America.... | Art museum | www.tmoca.com | | — |
Tehran Peace MuseumThe Tehran Peace Museum focuses on the health and environmental toll of chemical weapons. It was completed in 2007 alongside a memorial to the poison gas victims of the Iran–Iraq War (1980–88). It... | Memorial museum | www.tehranpeacemuseum.org | | — |
Treasury of National JewelsA collection of jewels so valuable that in the 1930s it served as a reserve for Iran's currency forms the core of the Treasury of National Jewels in Tehran, known on signs as موزه جواهرات ملی.... | Art museum | www.cbi.ir/page/1475.aspx | | — |