TEHRAN – Iran’s Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution has approved a “National Museums Document,” a senior cultural heritage official said, outlining a comprehensive framework to guide the country’s museum sector.

Deputy Cultural Heritage Minister Ali Darabi said on Wednesday that the document was ratified during a council meeting on Tuesday after months of expert consultations and reviews of domestic and international practices. 

Darabi described the document as a key upstream policy instrument that sets out a roadmap for the future of museum management in Iran across multiple dimensions. He said it aims to redefine museums from primarily exhibition spaces into institutions that contribute to cultural governance, national identity formation, public education and sustainable development.

The official added that one of the central goals of the document is to establish a unified and integrated governance system for museums and museum practices across the country.

Darabi also linked the approval of the document to broader historical developments, noting that Iran had established cultural heritage institutions during the eight-year Iran-Iraq war and adopted other heritage-related policies during subsequent periods of conflict. He said the latest move reflects continued attention by senior leadership to the cultural heritage sector.

The official added that effective implementation of the document could transform museums into more dynamic, publicly engaged and influential cultural institutions, enhancing their standing both domestically and internationally.

Iran currently has around 1,000 active museums, a figure officials say is relatively low given the country’s long history. Notable institutions include the National Museum of Iran, the Golestan Palace museum complex, the Pars Museum, and the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, which opened in 1977.
AM