Reza Abbasi Museum

The Reza Abbasi Museum sits on Shariati Street in Tehran and holds one of Iran's most significant collections of pre-Islamic and Islamic-era decorative arts, named for the celebrated 17th-century Safavid court painter Reza Abbasi. The museum opened in 1977 and organizes its permanent collection across three main galleries: pre-Islamic pottery, bronzes and metalwork from Elamite and Bronze Age sites; Islamic-era ceramics, glass and metalwork spanning the 7th through 19th centuries; and a dedicated gallery of Persian calligraphy and miniature painting, including works attributed to Reza Abbasi himself and other Safavid- and Qajar-era masters. The calligraphy and miniature gallery is considered the museum's core strength, presenting illuminated manuscript pages, single-page paintings and calligraphic panels in a chronological arrangement that traces the development of Persian miniature painting from the Timurid period through the Qajar era. Unlike the National Museum's broader archaeological remit, the Reza Abbasi Museum focuses specifically on fine and decorative arts, giving it a more curated, gallery-style presentation with detailed object labeling by period and school of painting. The building itself is a purpose-built 1970s museum structure rather than a converted historic property, with climate-controlled cases protecting manuscripts and textiles from light damage. Temporary exhibitions of contemporary Iranian art are occasionally held alongside the permanent collection, and the museum's research library supports scholarly study of Persian miniature painting.