CULTURAL CAMPAIGN OF MUSEUM’S AID TO FLOOD-AFFECTED PEOPLE AND HERITAGE IN IRAN”.

In March and April 2019 widespread flash flooding affected large parts of Iran, most severely in Khuzestan, Lorestan, Golestan provinces.

Unfortunately, many people have been hit, some are reported to have died.

In this regard, Mohammad Hekmat, an Iranian Museologist decided to run the campaign in order to help the flood-affected people through museums in the principle of museology. The purpose of the campaign is promoting knowledge of heritage environments where have been affected by the flood and people who live in those areas as heritage protectors through museum activities.

Poster of Campaign

The project aims to make connections between museums and society's demands which the first priority is the flood relief in the present. In this sense, he focused on the origins of museums' collections where have been struggling with the flood such as the Lorestan province related to historical Bronzes collection, Golestan related to Turkaman Carpets and Jewellery, Susa (Khuzestan) associated to Elamites and Achaemenian collection, Fars for Islamic era collection.  

Standard Finial

Iran, Lorestan, Lorestan bronzes, circa 1000-650 B.C.

Architecture; Architectural Elements

Bronze, cast 8 1/2 x 3 in. (21.4 x 7.5 cm)

The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection of Ancient Near Eastern and Central Asian Art, gift of The Ahmanson Foundation (M.76.97.90)

The book cover of "Turkaman Rugs"

Victoria and Albert Museum

• How to participate in the campaign?

- Promotion: Illustrating your museum objects which belong to flood-hit areas in Iran along with a description of their origins related to the flood disaster on the museum’s Instagram page, Facebook and other social networks.

- Programme: Organizing temporary exhibitions and events related to those museum objects and the flood disaster.

You may also collect donations in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross for the flood-hit people in Iran at your museum.

• The Champion Messages:

1 “Flood-affected people are protectors of the heritage”
2  “Museums in sympathy with flood-affected people”

• Museum Participants:

Several museums of Iran that are out of flood areas have participated in the campaign by various programmes such as opening relevant exhibitions, events, organizing curated walked and public tours related to those collections, art installations and so on. The list of museum participants is as below:

-           National Museum of Iran

-           Malik National Museum and Library

-           Niavaran Palace Museum

-           Glassware and Ceramic Museum of Iran

-           Museum of the Islamic Revolution and the Holy Defense, Tehran

-           Isfahan Museum of Contemporary Art

-           Golestan Palace Museum

-           Iranian National Museum of Medical Sciences History

-           Khatami House Museum, Ardakan

-           Iranian Museum of Print Industry

Recently in January 2020 flash flooding affected the south western part of Iran, Sistan and Baluchistan province which has the heritage site of the most important ancient civilzation and also rich in varitites of handicrafts.

Shahre Sukhte located in Sistan Province that is an arechological site (World Heritage Site of  UNESCO) of sizable Bronze Age urban settelment, assosiated with Jiroft Culture. 

One of the most famous object from this site is an eathen goblet depicting what archeologists consider to be the first ANIMATION.

A pottery vessel found in Shahre Sukhte, Iran. Late half of 3rd Millennium B.C. In five pictures of a goat as it steps toward a tree, climbs up it, eats the leaves and comes down.

This time also the movement has started by the National Museum of Iran that organized a curatorial walk at the museum and speeches by the main archeologists of the site.

 The Reading at the Museum Campaign that leading by Leila Kafashzade, the head of the Education and Children at the Iran's Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Tourism organized at the Niavaran Palace by reading the Story from Sistan with the name of the " Bangles of the Mother".

Please visit the campaign Instagram’s page @iranflood_museumsaid and feel free to ask if you need any further information.