Malek National Library and Museum

🕰️When was it built?

The institution was founded in 1937 and first worked out of Malek's own house. In 1944 he endowed a plot in the National Garden for a larger building. Work on the present building began in 1985 and finished in 1996, when the collection moved here.

🏛️What was it built for?

The library exists to keep and study books and manuscripts, and the museum presents the art that was collected. It is more than a display of objects: it also has conservation and bookbinding workshops and research departments to look after the collection.

👀What you will see

• The coin and medal collection brings together pieces from many periods of Iran and other lands.
• The painting section holds works by Kamal-ol-Molk, Lotf-Ali Suratgar and Iranian and European artists.
• Pen boxes, mirror cases and lacquer-painted objects form a separate collection of decorative arts.
• The carpet collection includes carpets and rugs from different regions of Iran woven over the last two centuries.
• Calligraphy by masters such as Mir Emad, Alireza Abbasi and Darvish Abdol-Majid Taleqani is another part of the museum.

💡Something interesting

The land for the present building was endowed years before it was built, but construction did not happen in Hossein Agha Malek's lifetime. His plan for a larger home for the collection came true decades later, with this very building.

🎒Good to know before you go