National Library and Archives of Iran

National Library and Archives of Iran
Name	National Library and Archives of Iran
Native name	کتابخانه و آرشیو ملی ایران
Established	1937
Location	Tehran, Iran
Type	National library and national archives
Collection size	ca. 15 million items
Director	Mohammad Mehdi Fakhari
Website	(official)

National Library and Archives of Iran is the national repository for Iran's documentary heritage, combining functions of a national library and a national archive. Located in Tehran, it serves researchers, policymakers, and the public by preserving manuscripts, printed works, audiovisual materials, and state records. The institution interacts with cultural institutions, academic centers, and international organizations to support scholarship on Iranian history, literature, religion, and art.

History

The institution traces roots to modernization efforts in the Pahlavi era under Reza Shah and was formally established during the reign of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi with influence from advisors associated with Andrew Mellon-era models and interwar cultural exchanges. Throughout the mid-20th century the library absorbed collections from institutions linked to Tehran University, Dar ol-Funun, and private collectors such as Ebrahim Hakimi and Ali Akbar Dehkhoda. After the Iranian Revolution of 1979 the institution underwent statutory reforms connecting it to ministries and cultural bodies like the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance and later coordination with archival frameworks inspired by standards from the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme and cooperation with the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. During the Iran–Iraq War the library prioritized salvage operations alongside national libraries such as the Bibliothèque nationale de France and archival efforts reminiscent of postwar reconstruction projects like those in Germany and Japan. In the 21st century the institution expanded under directors who engaged with networks including the International Council on Archives, National Endowment for the Humanities, and partnerships with universities such as Shahid Beheshti University and University of Tehran.

Architecture and Facilities

The main complex in northern Tehran was designed during late Pahlavi-era construction projects with input from Iranian architects influenced by modernists associated with movements present in France, Italy, and United Kingdom. Facilities include climate-controlled stacks, manuscript conservation labs modeled after techniques used at the British Library and Library of Congress, exhibition halls for collaborations with museums like the Golestan Palace and the National Museum of Iran, and auditoria for lectures featuring scholars from institutions including Harvard University, Oxford University, and University of Chicago. Reading rooms are organized by subject specialties connected to collections on Persian literature, Islamic studies, and regional archives from provinces such as Khorasan and Fars. The complex also hosts meeting spaces used by delegations from organizations such as the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the Asian Library Association.

Collections and Holdings

Holdings comprise manuscripts, rare books, printed materials, photographs, maps, newspapers, sound recordings, and government records. Manuscript holdings include illuminated Qur'ans, poetic codices related to Hafez, Saadi Shirazi, Ferdowsi, Rumi, and works linked to Nizami Ganjavi and Omar Khayyam. Rare printed works include first editions connected to figures like Mirza Ghulam Ahmad and lithographs from Qajar-period archives associated with Fath-Ali Shah Qajar. Photographic collections document events from the Constitutional Revolution (Iran) and the Pahlavi dynasty, with negatives and prints tied to studios such as Atelier Ismail and photographers like Antoine Sevruguin. The archive preserves state records, diplomatic correspondence including envoys to Ottoman Empire and Imperial Russia, and collections related to cultural figures such as Forough Farrokhzad, Sadegh Hedayat, Nima Yooshij, Abdolhossein Saba, Mohammad Reza Shajarian, and institutions like Radio Tehran. Map and cartographic holdings contain works by surveyors associated with Persian Gulf boundary deliberations and cartographers who contributed to atlases used in negotiations involving Anglo-Persian Oil Company era studies.

Services and Programs

Services include reference assistance, interlibrary loan with partners such as the Library of Congress and National Library of France, special collections access, fellowships sponsored in collaboration with universities including Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Sharif University of Technology, and outreach programs with cultural venues like the Tehran Book Garden and the Iranian Artists Forum. Educational programming features seminars on cataloguing standards aligned with International Standard Bibliographic Description and archival appraisal using guidelines from the International Council on Archives. Public exhibitions showcase items associated with Ferdowsi's Shahnameh, Avicenna, Al-Ghazali, and visual histories of cities like Isfahan and Shiraz. The institution administers legal deposit obligations connected to national publishing registrations and cooperates with the Iranian House of Cinema for audiovisual preservation.

Organization and Administration

The institution operates under a board and executive director, coordinating with ministries and cultural councils including the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council. Administrative departments cover acquisitions, conservation, cataloguing, digitization, legal deposit, and archives management using classification systems adapted from the Dewey Decimal Classification and international archival descriptive standards. Governance has involved figures from academic and cultural sectors with links to Academy of Persian Language and Literature and research institutes like Iranian National Museum Research Center. International liaisons include memberships with ICA entities and bilateral agreements with national libraries such as Russia State Library and German National Library.

Digitization and Preservation Initiatives

Digitization programs prioritize manuscripts, newspapers, and audiovisual archives, employing scanning workflows and metadata standards consistent with UNESCO recommendations and technical practices used by the National Diet Library and Biblioteca Nacional de España. Preservation labs utilize treatments developed in collaboration with conservation scientists affiliated with Smithsonian Institution and university conservation departments at University College London and University of Northumbria. Projects include digital repatriation efforts for diaspora scholars, participation in the Memory of the World nominations for Persian manuscripts, and storage solutions using archival-grade media recommended by International Organization for Standardization standards.

Cultural and Academic Impact

The institution influences scholarship across Iranian studies, Persian literature, Islamic philosophy, and art history, supporting research by scholars connected to Princeton University, Columbia University, SOAS University of London, and regional centers such as University of Tehran and Shiraz University. Publications, catalogs, and exhibitions have shaped public understanding of figures like Cyrus the Great, Darius I, and poets such as Khayyam and Hafez, while archival access has informed legal-historical research on treaties involving Treaty of Turkmenchay and events like the Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907. Through collaborations with cultural diplomacy actors and participation in international networks, the institution contributes to heritage policy dialogues within forums including UNESCO and ICOMOS.

Category:Libraries in Iran