Solat House (Abarkuh Anthropology Museum)

🕰️When was it built?

The house was built in the mid-Qajar period and added to the National Heritage List on 12 February 1997 as number 1839. The museum's objects come from different periods, some from the early Islamic centuries, so the collection is older than the building.

🏛️What was it built for?

The building was first a family home and was later turned into an anthropology museum. The collection is about daily life and trades in Abarkuh and includes examples of giveh shoemaking, cloth weaving, carpet weaving, felt making and nickel-silver work.

👀What you will see

• Samovars, flasks, trays and old oil and pressure lamps in copper, brass and nickel silver show what homes once used.
• Local costumes and a Qajar-era women's chador are among the clothing in the collection.
• Handwritten property deeds and marriage contracts are shown alongside manuscripts and printed books.
• A Qajar-era map of Abarkuh drawn by the Russians, together with old photographs, is part of the picture archive.
• Silver and stone necklaces, bracelets, anklets and headbands are among the jewellery worn with women's dress.

💡Something interesting

A decree of Ahmad Shah Qajar, old stone inscriptions and coins are also in the collection. With such a mix, everyday objects sit next to traces of the town's official business and its historical events.

🎒Good to know before you go