The 14 Best Museums in Shiraz

Shiraz, with its vibrant charm and several thousand years of history, has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. The city’s numerous museums showcase the ancient heritage of this historic region. These museums are symbols of Iranian history, culture, and civilization. In this article from GULF CITY PEDIA , we have compiled a list of museums in Shiraz along with their details and provided an introduction to each. So, stay with us as we explore them further.

1.Persepolis Museum, Shiraz

Persepolis Museum is among the most renowned museums in Shiraz. It is located within the 2500-year-old Persepolis complex in the Marvdasht area. The construction of this building was ordered by Xerxes I and completed during the reign of Artaxerxes I. Once known as the Queen’s Palace, it is now recognized as the oldest reconstructed building in the country. The Persepolis Museum features a large hall, two galleries, and a veranda. Visitors can enjoy viewing stone and metal statues, Elamite inscriptions, the Xerxes I inscriptions, gold and silver jewelry, ancient musical instruments, jars and pottery, metal sculptures, column capitals, stone statues, spears, arrows, and more.

Address of Persepolis Museum: 10 km north of Marvdasht City
Opening Hours: Spring and Summer: 7:30 AM – 7:30 PM; Autumn and Winter: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM

2.Pars Museum, Shiraz

The beauty of Pars Museum is sure to captivate you. The building dates back to the Zandieh era, and the tomb of Karim Khan Zand is located in the western part of the building. Situated in the Bagh-e-Nazar area of Shiraz, this museum has been operational since 1936. It houses valuable artifacts from various historical periods, including paintings by Lotfali Khan Painter, Karim Khan Zand’s sword, a collection of exquisite manuscript Qurans, Mina pottery, inscriptions, and bronze artifacts from Lorestan, among others.

Address of Pars Museum: Shahrdari Square, opposite Karim Khan Citadel
Opening Hours: 7:30 AM – 8:00 PM

3.Afifabad Military Museum, Shiraz

As the name suggests, this museum is located in Afifabad Garden and displays weapons and military tools. The building has two floors. The first floor houses the Arms Museum, while the second floor is dedicated to the Museum of Lessons. On these two floors, you can view a variety of cold and hot weapons, hunting rifles, sniper rifles, pistols, machine guns, automatic and semi-automatic weapons, swords, armor, spears, helmets, shields, flintstones, and more, ranging from the Safavid era to the present day. Notable items include personal guns belonging to Fath Ali Shah, Nasser al-Din Shah, Mozaffar al-Din Shah, Reza Shah, and Mohammad Reza Shah.

Address of Afifabad Military Museum: South of Qasr Dasht Street, end of Afifabad Street
Opening Hours: 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM

4.Vakil Bath Museum, Shiraz

Vakil Bath, constructed under the orders of Karim Khan during the Zandieh era, is considered a masterpiece of Iranian architecture. This museum features 30 wax statues designed to showcase bathing practices, cultural norms, and clothing from that era. The museum attracts many visitors throughout the year due to its unique display.

Address of Vakil Bath Museum: Lotfali Khan Zand Street, Taleghani Street
Opening Hours: 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM

5.Naranjestan-e-Qavam Garden Museum, Shiraz

The Naranjestan-e-Qavam Garden Museum is a grand estate that has become a significant tourist destination in Shiraz due to its magnificent and unique architecture. This Qajar-era building was constructed by Mohammad Ali Khan and Mohammad Reza Khan. The museum’s exquisite mirror work, plasterwork, brickwork, wood carving, and traditional paintings are truly captivating. Make sure to include the section featuring archaeological artifacts discovered over time in your visit.

Address of Naranjestan-e-Qavam Garden Museum: Lotfali Khan Zand Street
Opening Hours: 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM

6.Shah Cheragh Museum, Shiraz

The Shah Cheragh shrine is one of the main attractions for tourists in Shiraz. Adjacent to the shrine, the Shah Cheragh Museum is located within the courtyard of the shrine. This large hall museum houses artifacts from both pre-Islamic and Islamic periods, including exquisite Qurans, manuscripts, ancient coins, various old metal, ceramic, and glassware, weapons from different eras, famous paintings, and more.

Address of Shah Cheragh Museum: Ahmadieh Square, Shah Cheragh Shrine
Opening Hours: 8:00 AM – 9:00 PM

7.Furughi-Malek Visual Arts Museum, Shiraz

Located in the house of Furughi Malek, a prominent and wealthy woman known for her contributions to art and mysticism during the Qajar era, this museum showcases the beauty of its period architecture. The house includes a kitchen, stable, bathhouse, two residential units, a library with over 100 specialized books and magazines, tile work, stone paintings, brick walls, and wooden beam ceilings. The building has been restored and now serves as a venue for displaying works by Shirazi artists. The museum features paintings, photographs, calligraphy, bas-reliefs, and more valuable artworks. It is also known as the Meshkinfam Museum, as it is managed by Hossein Meshkinfam to exhibit works from this artistic family.

Address of Furughi-Malek Visual Arts Museum (Meshkinfam): Old District of Shiraz, Ayatollah Dastgheib Boulevard, Sang Siah Neighborhood, behind Imamzadeh Bibi Dokhtaran
Opening Hours: 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM

The best places to see in Shiraz (photo + address + information)

8.Shiraz Museum of Celebrities

The Museum of Celebrities is located in the house of Zinati-ol-Molk and is one of the prominent tourist attractions in Shiraz. This beautiful building, a masterpiece of architecture, belonged to the Qavam ol-Molk family. During the Iran-Iraq War, the house served as a shelter for many displaced people. Interestingly, this museum is often referred to as the “Madame Tussauds of Shiraz.” Upon entering, a statue of Zinati-ol-Molk welcomes you with open arms. The museum features statues and figures of notable Persian figures from the Achaemenid to the Sassanian periods, as well as from the Zandieh and Qajar eras, and includes martyrs of the Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War. Among its valuable exhibits are statues of Cyrus the Great, Darius, Hafez, Saadi, Barbad, Karim Khan Zand, and others.

Address of Shiraz Museum of Celebrities: Lotfali Khan Zand Street
Opening Hours: 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM

9.Loghmani Nejad Music Museum, Shiraz

This is a specialized museum for art and music enthusiasts, also known as the Museum of Sounds and Melodies. Located in the beautiful Loghmani Nejad house from the Qajar era, the museum offers a variety of exhibits. Visitors can explore the listening room, viewing room, audio-visual archive, world music section, teaching and training areas, and a gallery of musical instruments from different regions of Iran. Notably, the museum’s audio archive contains 2,000 hours of music, which visitors can experience in well-equipped listening booths.

Address of Loghmani Nejad Music Museum: Ahmadieh Square, behind the New Mosque
Opening Hours: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM

10.Darya-ye Noor Museum of Stones and Gems, Shiraz

The second stone and gem museum in Iran, after Tehran, has been operational in Shiraz since 2011. Located on the ground floor of the Eram Garden in Shiraz, the museum features 140 types of precious and highly valuable stones, some of which are extremely rare. The museum’s galleries display various stone-crafted items such as jewelry, earrings, rings, necklaces, and colorful bracelets, all of which are sure to captivate visitors. The museum also offers demonstrations on how to cut and shape stones.

Address of Darya-ye Noor Museum of Stones and Gems: Eram Boulevard, Eram Garden
Opening Hours: 8:00 AM – 9:00 PM

11.Shah-e-Cheragh Stone Museum (Haft Tan Museum), Shiraz

In the past, seven mystics from Shiraz were buried at the foothill of the Chahal Magham Mountain. Because they were unknown, their tombstones were left without inscriptions. Karim Khan Zand decided to erect commemorative stones for them. Today, this site is known as the Stone Museum or Haft Tan Museum. It houses historical stones and ancient inscriptions dating from the 3rd to the 11th centuries AH (Islamic calendar). The inscriptions on these stones are written in Kufic, Nastaliq, Naskh, and Tauqi scripts.

Address of Haft Tan Museum: End of Haft Tan Boulevard
Opening Hours: 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM

12.Water Museum (Aab Anbar) of Shiraz

Located in the eastern part of the Karim Khan Citadel, the Water Museum, dating back to the Zandieh era, showcases models of various water structures from different periods in Iran. The windcatcher of the water reservoir features brickwork similar to that of the Karim Khan Tower, adding beauty to the museum. This building is actually one of Karim Khan’s water reservoirs and is listed as a national heritage site in Iran.

Address of Water Museum: Toupkhaneh Square, east side of Karim Khan Citadel
Opening Hours: 9:30 AM – 2:00 PM

13.Traditional and Ritual Clothing Museum, Shiraz

This museum is located in the Salehi House, which dates back to the Qajar era. The house features two sections: the inner and outer courtyards with three-door and five-door rooms. The tile work on the courtyard walls, with its Islamic geometric patterns, floral designs, and depictions of Qajar kings and soldiers, adds significant beauty to the space. Visitors can also admire Qajar architectural art in the plasterwork, wooden ceilings, and decorative woodwork. Since 2005, the Salehi House has been converted by the Cultural Heritage Organization into a museum showcasing traditional and ritual clothing of Shiraz.

Address of Traditional and Ritual Clothing Museum: Historic District, opposite Shah Cheragh, Haft Peich Alley, Salehi House

14.Natural History and Technology Museum, Shiraz

Finally, the Shiraz Natural History and Technology Museum is a diverse museum that includes sections on zoology, botany, geology, anthropology, anatomy, technology, taxidermy, and more. It boasts over 2,500 specimens of invertebrates and vertebrates, 60 species of medicinal plants, a 70-million-year-old fish fossil, and various mineral samples. The museum is highly popular among tourists for its extensive and fascinating exhibits.

Address of Natural History and Technology Museum: Modares Boulevard, Azadegan Street
Opening Hours: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Final Thoughts on Shiraz Museums

Visiting the museums of Shiraz is a must-do on any trip to this city. The museums in Shiraz are among the richest and most visited in Iran, attracting many tourists each year who are eager to explore them.

It is hard to imagine traveling to a city with several thousand years of history without visiting its historical museums. Every corner of this ancient city holds remnants of its past, from historic houses and centuries-old gardens to millennia-old cultural heritage. All these elements contribute to Shiraz’s authenticity, making it a place not to be missed. The numerous historical and natural treasures discovered in this region are a testament to its extensive collection of museums.

Make sure to include visits to the museums and galleries in Shiraz in your travel plans and enjoy the remarkable collections that showcase Iran’s rich civilization.