Golestan
Palace Museum
Nobody
can deny that museums in Iran are facing a shortage of
funds, their display boxes are non-standard and the
temperature and humidity levels at museums are unstable,
said CHN in a report.
Museums are expected to hold a variety of exhibits,
arrange workshops for students to teach them about
historical items, paintings and help them get acquainted
with their own cultural heritage and history.
However, such programs are currently non-existent in
museums.
Curators of museums should shoulder the blame for the lack
of funds for the absence of such programs, added the
report.
“When we have difficulty providing the basic needs of
museums, how it is possible to hold educational programs
for students and launch workshops for them at the
museums,“ curators of museums ask.
All museums are facing financial problems with Abgineh and
Sofalineh Museum being the worst hit.
Curator of Abgineh and Sofalineh Museum Farzaneh Ghaeni
said that the monthly budget of the museum is four million
rials and this is not even enough to pay the electricity
bill.
She said that Iran National Museum, Niavaran Palace and
Sadabad Palace museums have their own accountants and can
spend part of the income for maintenance, whereas Reza
Abbasi Museum, Carpet Museum and Abgineh and Sofalineh
Museum are being administered under deputy director for
cultural affairs at Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism
Organization (ICHTO).
Therefore,
funds are not available on time. “For example Abgineh
Museum has deposited 112 million rials to ICHTO account in
the past 11 months, but, we do not have access to this for
the time being. It would be made available after
overcoming the bureaucratic procedure,“ she said.
Meanwhile, the credit for development project of Iran
National Museum has not been made available yet even
though nine months have passed since the beginning of the
current Iranian year in March.
According to earlier agreements, Iran National Museum was
expected to be provided with 50 billion rials for its
development project to be spent within a five-year period.
However, currently less than four months is remaining of
the current Iranian year 1384, (ends March 20, 2005) and
no credit has been made available yet.
Curator of Iran National Museum Mohammad Reza Karegar said
that the bureaucracy is responsible for the current state
of affairs.
He said that he believed that Iranian bureaucratic system
is suffering from a major challenge which has made certain
institutions including museums so vulnerable.
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