Updated November 2026 The museum’s galleries were closed during the 2025 and 2026 conflicts and have reopened only in phases, so check which halls are open before you go; outdated ticket prices have been removed.
The Islamic Era Museum in Tehran, officially the Museum of the Islamic Era, is the second of the two buildings that make up the National Museum of Iran, and it holds one of the country’s finest collections of art and objects from the arrival of Islam to the end of the Qajar dynasty. If the ancient galleries next door show you Persepolis and the pre-Islamic empires, this building picks up the story: illuminated Qur’ans, Safavid calligraphy, astrolabes, lustreware, silk and carpets, all laid out in chronological order across three floors.
The building and its history
The brick building stands beside the older Ancient Iran Museum in the museum compound in downtown Tehran. Work on it began in the 1940s and it was finished around 1950, but it only opened as a dedicated museum of the Islamic period in 1996. It then closed in 2006 for a long refurbishment, which expanded some spaces and redesigned the displays, and reopened in August 2015, according to Wikipedia. Today it shows around 1,500 objects in some 170 display cases, drawn from excavations, historic monuments and important collections such as the shrine of Sheikh Safi al-Din in Ardabil.
What to see, floor by floor
The displays run chronologically from the top down, so the most rewarding route is to go straight to the second floor and work your way back to the entrance.
Second floor: the early Islamic, Seljuk and Ilkhanid periods. This floor concentrates on the art of the first Islamic centuries through to the Mongol era, with an emphasis on architectural decoration: carved stucco, glazed tiles, inscribed panels and mihrabs (prayer niches) bearing Qur’anic verses. Look out for early glass and ceramics, metalwork and coins, which often carry the names of rulers and the cities where they were minted.
First floor: the Qur’an hall and the Timurid, Safavid and Qajar halls. The Qur’an hall is the heart of the museum, with manuscripts spanning several centuries, including gilded copies in early Kufic script, which show how Islamic calligraphy and book design evolved. The later halls bring in miniature paintings and calligraphy from the great schools of Herat, Shiraz and Isfahan, including work attributed to celebrated masters such as Mir Emad. You will also find scientific, literary and historical manuscripts, writing sets, astrolabes and other astronomical instruments, medical tools, lamps and lighting fittings, lacquerwork and some beautiful textiles, from silk brocades to carpets and prayer rugs.
Ground floor: temporary exhibitions. The ground floor has a meeting hall and spaces for changing exhibitions, which are often worth a look in their own right. There is also a small shop selling books on Iranian pottery, architecture and crafts, along with posters and cards.
Is it open? Planning your visit
The National Museum of Iran closed during the June 2025 conflict and reopened after more than three months, but its main permanent galleries, including the Islamic period, stayed shut at first, with officials planning to reopen them in stages, as Amordad News reported in October 2025. Museums in Tehran closed again during the war that began at the end of February 2026 and have been reopening gradually since the April ceasefire, some with reduced displays, according to The Art Newspaper. Before you set off, check with your hotel, a local tour operator or the museum’s official channels which halls are currently open.
A few other tips:
- The museum has traditionally closed on Mondays and on some public holidays, and opening hours are longer in the first half of the Iranian year (spring and summer) than in autumn and winter.
- Foreign visitors pay a higher ticket price than Iranians. Prices change frequently with inflation, so see our Iran prices pages for a sense of current costs and bring cash or an Iranian bank card.
- Allow at least an hour and a half for this building alone, and more if you plan to see the Ancient Iran galleries too. Our guide to the National Museum of Iran covers the whole complex.
- Go in the morning on a weekday to avoid school groups and to see the halls at their quietest.
Location and getting there
The museum is in central Tehran, inside the National Museum complex on 30 Tir Street, just off Imam Khomeini Avenue. The nearest metro station is Imam Khomeini on Line 1 (also served by Line 2), a short walk away. The area is busy and easy to reach by taxi or ride-hailing app.
The neighbourhood makes it easy to build a half-day around your visit. 30 Tir Street is known for its evening street-food stalls, and the surrounding streets are full of historic buildings, cafés and small parks.
