TEHRAN – The National Museum of Iran is set to reopen tomorrow after more than three months of closure, starting with an exhibition titled “Narrators of Ancient Iran,” the museum announced.

The museum has been closed since June 13, when Iran shut down museums and heritage sites nationwide at the start of the 12-day war with Israel. Some of its collections were transferred to storage for protection.

 The reopening will begin at 11 a.m. local time with a selection of artifacts on display, the museum said in a statement carried by ISNA news agency. It added that the process of reopening the museum’s main halls would take place gradually.

Jebrael Nokandeh, director of the National Museum of Iran, said the opening of the museum’s affiliated sites would be announced in later statements.

Last week, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts ordered the reopening of all museums, historical palaces and archaeological sites across the country.

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.

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.

AM