Over 1m historical artifacts held in Iran’s museums
The deputy minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts revealed that over a million historical artifacts are held within the storerooms of Iran’s national museums.
Ali Darabi noted that out of these, “41,000 are identified, and around 30,000 are currently on display in museums,” IRNA reported.
Iran’s historical artifacts span from the Sassanian era to the Qajar period, according to the deputy minister, and the National Museum holds a portion of these treasures. “Among them are invaluable pieces such as the Arjan Bowl and other significant works,” he pointed out.
Darabi stated that currently, an exhibition of Iran’s historical artifacts, titled “The Glory of Ancient Iran,” is on display in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China, and on the first day alone, seven thousand people viewed the artifacts.
The deputy minister also announced that the right of discovery is stipulated in the Cultural Heritage Law. According to this law, after the authenticity of the discovery is verified, the rightful individual will definitely receive their due credit.
“There is no impediment to the right of discovery for those who find historical artifacts. However, some individuals seek a share of the discovery before the authenticity of the find is verified or before the location of the artifact is even shown to us. This is an unreasonable demand.”
In response to whether penalties are imposed on those who damage Iran’s cultural heritage, Darabi stated: “The necessary provisions for dealing with those who damage historical and cultural artifacts are also stipulated in the law. Since these artifacts are invaluable, some individuals will face severe penalties.”
“Under the previous government, specialized courts were established to address these crimes, and we are striving to implement this measure,” he said, adding that the head of the Judiciary has expressed readiness and that a joint task force has been formed between the ministry and the Judiciary.