The Abgineh Museum is one of the more rewarding and least crowded of Tehran's many museums — a collection of Iranian glass and ceramics spanning more than three millennia, displayed in a beautifully restored early-20th-century mansion. The building's arched gallery and tiled courtyard are worth the admission fee before you look at a single exhibit.
The collection moves from ancient blown glass and terracotta vessels through exquisite Islamic glazed ceramics (the lustreware from medieval Ray, near Tehran, is among the finest in the world) to Safavid and Qajar tile work. Several pieces of pre-Islamic glass show the influence of Roman and Byzantine techniques on Iranian craftsmen, adapted to distinctly Persian forms. The upper floor displays contemporary Iranian glass art alongside the historic collection. Allow about 90 minutes.