The name of the museum comes from an artist of the Safavid period named Reza Abbasi. The collection on display and in storage belong to a period from the 2nd millennium BC to the early 20th century right at the end of the Qajar period.

The exhibits are organised chronologically starting with the top-floor Pre-Islamic Gallery, where you’ll find Achaemenid gold bowls, drinking vessels, armlets and decorative pieces, often with exquisite carvings of bulls and rams. The Islamic Gallery exhibits ceramics, fabrics and brassware, while the Painting Gallery shows samples of fine calligraphy from ancient Qurans and illustrated manuscripts, particularly copies of Ferdowsi’s Shahnamah and Sa’di’s Golestan.