Anthropology museum in Ardebil representing Persian culture and art

If you ever travel to Ardebil, don’t miss its anthropology museum where Persian rich cultural, artistic, architectural and historical backgrounds are displayed to the public.
It begins with a dressing room and ends up in a stone octagonal pond where old bathing rituals are put on show through statues. The bathhouse includes a V-shaped porch, dressing room, lead cupola, heated water facility allowing for hot and cold water pools as well as old objects.
What is now referred to as the museum dates back to the Safavid Era, in the second half of the seventh hijri century, and was called Agha Naghi bathhouse or Zahiroleslam , as locals call it. Zahiroleslam built it in the Ilkhanid Era.200 years later it was extended and eventually Agha Naghi Moetamenoraaya bought, restored and reconstructed it in Ghajar Era. In 1378 the Cultural Heritage Organization purchased it and then handed it over to the anthropology museum officials. Ancient bathhouses in Ardebil were common as the people attached importance to cleanliness and hygiene and used to take a bath once a week. They allocated one day to bath and called it “bath day”. They went to the bathhouses along with their families.
The museum with its old objects and 33statues in different poses fascinates the tourists who come over to learn about Persian lifestyles, customs, traditional clothing, special local cuisine, and rituals in the past. It obviously presents precious information which indicates the historical and cultural identity of our nation in the old days. Despite poor attempts to advertise and introduce the museum, there are still a lot of visitors who come over to take a glance.