Function of “Museum of Ancient Persia” institution in the idea of nation-state in Pahlavi era

The establishment of museum in the modern age as a multifunctional and multidimensional institution indicated a fundamental change in the epistemic system of mankind. This institution was built on special cultural, political, and social foundations. Designating a site for keeping antique objects or museum objects, which aimed at making Iranians familiar with European museums and discoveries of ancient artifacts, dates back to the age of Nasir al-Din Shah Qajar. Hoping to build a museum, Nasir al-Din Shah allocated a site for keeping and exhibiting valuable and historic artifacts, but the attempt failed to be kept on any longer. With Iranians’ acquaintance with new ideas and the importance of museum and ancients works, the idea of establishing a museum was pursued by the elites who gathered in the Society for National Monuments, which eventually led to the idea of the establishment of Museum of Ancient Persia on the western side of Mashgh Square, at the heart of the capital, when modern Pahlavi came to power. With a historical-analytical method, this paper aims to investigate the reasons why Museum of Ancient Persia was built and the most important functions of it in the context of the Pahlavi State. The achievements of the research indicate that the establishment of museum in Iran was deeply associated with the idea of nationalism. Although the establishment of this institution was a dream that Constitutionalist intellectuals cherished, it was materialized and fulfilled by Pahlavi. Despite such functions as collection, preservation, protection and exhibition, it was the most important goal and demand of the Pahlavi State to provide learnings and studies, create identity and legitimize this institution, so they decided to rebuild and reproduce some narrations of ancient history that espoused the ideology of the Pahlavi State.