Impressions and Images of Iran: The Abgineh Museum of Tehran

I spent a total of four days in Tehran. It was longer than what most visitors do, but then again, I was traveling slow. And perhaps because I had plenty of time in the city, I saw some parts of it that are normally skipped. Heck, I even found a local who took me around different places of the city, and that was an interesting perspective indeed. Anyway, the last museum I visited the was the Abgineh Museum, also known was the Glassware and Ceramics Museum of Tehran.

It is a museum situated in a villa right in the middle of the city. The mansion that houses the collections used to be the Egyptian Embassy, I was told. It is an interesting place, and somehow it was an oasis in the middle of the city, where one can escape the chaotic traffic and be enveloped in relative silence for a few hours.



As you can see from the photos above, there are plenty of interesting and intricate glassware and ceramic objects on display. I am not really a specialist in glass, but nevertheless it was interesting to see an anthropological approach to these objects, as the museum documents where these objects were found in the country.

Another thing I observed was this dual nature of Iran: there are definitely exotic things and places to see and visit, but there are also elements that remind me of Western or more specifically European culture. Their opulent palaces and museums that have very good collections can stand on par with what one can see in Europe. I suppose it shouldn't be a surprise, as Iran after all is at the crossroads.

This is my last photo collection from Iran. I will just publish one more article wrapping up the trip, and then we'll move to a new place soon enough.