TEHRAN – The entry to all museums and historical sites affiliated with the Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Ministry will be free on Sunday on the occasion of the World Tourism Day, Mohammadreza Kargar, the tourism ministry’s director of museums and historical properties said on Wednesday. 

There are 600 museums across Iran, some half of which are associated with private collectors or various institutions, he said.

Some three million historical objects are currently being kept in Iranian museums which are affiliated with the tourism ministry.

Iran is home to one of the world’s oldest continuous major civilizations, embracing settlements dating back to 4000 BC.

The name of Iran, formerly known as Persia, mostly conjures up the first Persian Empire, ruled by the Achaemenids (550 – 330 BC) and sites such as Pasargadae and Persepolis. However, there are tens of prehistorical sites as the Burnt City in Sistan-Baluchestan, Tepe Sialk in Kashan, Susa and Chogha Zanbil in the Khuzestan province, and Ecbatana in Hamedan which predate the Achaemenid period.

From a wider point of view, Iranian history can be divided into Pre-Islamic and Islamic eras. The Medes unified Iran as a nation and empire in 625 BC. The Islamic conquest of Persia (633–656) that put an end to the mighty Sassanid Empire (224–651) was a turning point in the history of the nation.

ABU/MG