TEHRAN – Qajar-era Danai mansion in north-central Semnan province will be turned into a museum, a Semnan municipality official has said. 

The mansion, measuring 520 square meters in area, is one of the valuable historical monuments of the province, which was built in Qajar era (1789–1925), Saied Porsa said on Sunday, ISNA reported. 

The mansion is being restored and the museum is expected to be inaugurated by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (ends on March 20, 2021), he added. 

Turning this historical monument into a museum can promote Semnan as a historical city and tourist destination, he stated. 

The main population centers of Semnan province lie along the ancient Silk Road (and modern-day Imam Reza Expressway), linking Rey (Tehran) with Khorasan (Mashhad). While few visitors spend much time in the area, driving through you can easily seek out several well-preserved caravanserais (notably Dehnamak and Ahowan), cisterns (the Cafe Abenbar in Garmsar is a special treat) and ruined mud citadels (Padeh is lumpy but fascinating). The large, bustling cities of Semnan, Damghan and Shahrud (Bastam) all have a small selection of historic buildings and Semnan has a fine old covered bazaar. 

Some three million historical objects are currently being kept in Iranian museums which are affiliated with the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts. 

“There are many historical relics that are owned by private collectors and entities and the government cannot act in order to preserve them in the museums; therefore, we made efforts that this [cultural] heritage to be conserved and showcased in [their] private museums,” according to Mohammadreza Kargar who presides over the ministry’s museums and historical properties department.

ABU/MG