Housed in a beautiful Qajar-era building a short walk north of the National Museum of Iran, the Glass & Ceramics Museum is, like many of its exhibits, small but perfectly formed.
Built as a private residence for a prominent Persian family, it later housed the Egyptian embassy and was converted into a museum in 1976. Unusually for its time, the building successfully blends features of Eastern and Western styles. The graceful wooden staircase and classical stucco mouldings are particularly delightful, and there are many delicate carvings and decorative flourishes.
The well-designed museum stands out in a country where detailed explanations are hard to find. It has hundreds of exhibits, mainly from Neishabur, Kashan, Rey and Gorgan, dating from the 2nd millennium BC to the modern day. The galleries walk you chronologically through the ages, with detailed, lucid explanations in English that chart the history of the country and the region through the lovingly displayed glass and ceramics that remain.
