Tehran puppet museum reopens with 800 marionettes, gains national registration
Tehran’s Ferdowsi Hall reopened its Marionette Puppet Museum on Saturday, unveiling a collection of about 800 stage puppets and securing national registration in a ceremony marking the birthday of veteran theater director Behrouz Gharibpour.
Established by the Rudaki Arts and Cultural Foundation in collaboration with Gharibpour’s Aran Puppet Theater Group, the museum preserves a distinctive chapter of Iran’s contemporary performing arts, bringing together puppets created for productions inspired by Persian literature, history and mythology, IRNA reported.
The collection features marionettes used in Aran’s puppet operas since 2004, tracing more than two decades of work that combines theater, music and opera. The Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts presented the museum’s operating license to Rudaki Foundation chief Mohammad Allahyari during the reopening ceremony.
The museum will rotate its displays according to the group’s performance repertoire, allowing visitors to encounter puppets from different productions while supporting their preservation. Special educational tours will also introduce visitors to the marionette-making process, from initial design and construction to preparing puppets for the stage.
Founded in 2003 by Gharibpour, Aran specializes in puppet opera, a theatrical form in which figures are manipulated from above using strings and, in some cases, rods. The group has developed original productions drawing on Iranian musical traditions and the country’s dramatic heritage, with the revival of national opera among its central aims.
Its repertoire includes ‘Rostam and Sohrab,’ ‘Macbeth,’ ‘Ashura,’ ‘Rumi,’ ‘Hafez,’ ‘Layla and Majnun,’ ‘Sa’adi’ and ‘Khayyam’. The productions have been staged in Iran, Europe and Asia.
Ferdowsi Hall, a 140-seat venue dedicated to marionette theater, opened in February 2004 with ‘Rostam and Sohrab,’ directed by Gharibpour. The museum now offers audiences an opportunity to explore the puppets and theatrical elements behind Aran’s productions beyond their appearances on stage.