From the initial ideas of forming an Iranian national museum, to the establishment of the Museum of Ancient Iran, in which many skilled craftsmen, artists, architects, and others were involved, an overview of the history as well as the present state of the Museum of Ancient Iran is presented in this book. A review of early museums of Iran, formation of the Museum of Ancient Iran, design and construction phases of the museum building and its architectural features, objects and collections of the museum and the future envisioned for it are the main themes covered in the book. The book in hand is the 3rd volume of a twenty-title series published as an output of Tehran Studies Project at Cultural Research Bureau. These books were designed to provide both authentic and interest-ing reading material on the historical, architectural and cultural aspects of Tehran’s prominent monuments and urban spaces. The series was recently translated into English for English-speakers willing to expand their knowledge about the history of the present Iranian capital.

Eskandar Mokhtari (1956/Tehran) received his BA in Archaeology and History of Art from Tehran University in 1980, and an MA in Architectural Restoration from University of Art in 1995. He also holds a PhD in Art Research from University of Art. He has been in charge of restoring several monuments and historic sites in Iran since 1980. His latest responsibilities include management of Tehran Historical City Office from 1996 to 2009, and supervision of Bam Cultural Heritage Recovery Project from 2004 to 2009. He has pro-duced a dozen documentaries on historic sites and monuments of Iran for the Iranian National TV, authored sev-eral books and articles on cultural heritage conservation, and worked as a lecturer in several Iranian universities including Tehran University and Iran University of Science and Technology. He was also the chief editor of the present books series (Tehran Studies).