TEHRAN- Tehran’s Glass and Ceramic Museum is a window into the rich Iranian civilization and culture, tourism minister Ezzatollah Zarghami said on Saturday.

“This museum contains Iranian art that dates back hundreds and thousands of years and is an essential part of human civilization.” 

He made the remarks during a visit to the Glass and Ceramic Museum of Iran, known as Abgineh Museum, which is located downtown, IRNA reported.

The museum is very treasured for its magnificent, delicate, beautiful works of art, drawn from ancient beliefs and rituals, the minister added. 

“There is a world of culture, history, and ritual that lies behind each of these works of art,” he noted. 

By reviewing the history of the museum, it becomes clear that Iranians have long been a pioneer and a symbol of culture and history, and this is of vital importance, he explained. 

Abgineh Museum offers visitors a wide range of glasswork, brickwork, plasterwork, mirror work as well as inlaid artworks that date from the 2nd millennium BC to the present day, all housed within an elegant Qajar-era (1789 to 1925) edifice.

The two-story octagonal structure itself retains a lot of charm as seamlessly blends genuine Iranian architecture with 19th-century European motifs.

It was originally constructed upon the orders of the 20th-century politician Ahmad Qavam better known as Qavam-ol-Saltaneh for his personal lodging. It is situated a short walk northward of the National Museum of Iran on Si-e Tir St.

ABU/AFM