TEHRAN – The National Museum of Iran has announced its readiness to expand ties with cultural heritage museums in Singapore.

“The National Museum of Iran is ready to have joint cultural cooperation with the museums of Singapore,” the museum director Jebrael Nokandeh said on Sunday.

He made the remarks in a meeting with Tehran’s ambassador to Singapore Behnam Bolourian as the two nations are due to mark their 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations, Mehr reported.

“Joint exhibitions of historical and cultural monuments can pave the way for the two nations of Iran and Singapore to get to know each other better to deepen their friendship,”  Nokandeh said.

Introducing Iranian culture, art, and civilization at the international level is one of the great goals of this museum, Nokandeh added.

Chock-full of priceless objects showcasing the juicy history of the nation, the National Museum showcases ceramics, pottery, stone figures, and carvings, mostly taken from excavations at Persepolis, Ismail Abad (near Qazvin), Shush, Rey, and Turang Tappeh to name a few.

The main building of the National Museum, designed by French architect André Godard and completed in 1928, is one of the more attractive modern buildings in Tehran, blending Sassanian principles such as the grand iwan-style entrance with art deco–style brickwork.

Inside, among the finds from Shush, there’s a stone capital of a winged lion, some delightful pitchers and vessels in animal shapes, and colorful glazed bricks decorated with double-winged mythical creatures. A copy of the diorite stele detailing the Babylonian Code of Hammurabi, found at Shush in 1901, is also displayed – the original being in Paris.

AFM