Tehran 50 Half a Century of German Archaeology in Iran

From 01 Dec 2011 to 03 Mar 2012

2 December - 4 March. An exhibition celebrating the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the Tehran department of the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) takes place at the Museum for Islamic Art.

On show are images of the history of archaeology in Iran at digs in places such as Persepolis. The fallout of the second world war delayed the creation of the archaeological department in Iran by several decades but in 1961 it established offices and the organisation immediately joined in the digs already underway at Takht-e Soleyman in the country's north-western region.

The department's exploration of Persian history ranges from prehistory up to the Qajar dynasty. The exhibition also presents the history of archaeology in Iran from the perspectives of Iranians, by displaying images of locals observing the German archaeologists at work.