Fars Museum of Celebrities

Zinat al-Molk House, which is a part of the “Narenjestan-e Qavam” Mansion of Shiraz, is now operating as the Fars Museum Celebrities. This museum was formed as a temporary exhibition a few years ago, but it was, later on, made into a permanent museum.

Displayed Objects in the Fars Museum of Celebrities

The first thing that will attract the attention of visitors upon entering this museum is the wax figure of a woman, Zinat al-Molk, who was the last child of Qavam al-Molk, the owner and founder of the mansion.

This museum houses a collection of wax figures of the most famous Iranian personalities, several posters, and plaster panels all of which have been described in Persian and English languages.

Who Are the Personalities Introduced in the Fars Museum of Celebrities?

Since Fars is one of the first settlements of the Persian people and the first Iranian empire was formed there, this province should be considered a region with a long and unique history. In the Fars Museum of Celebrities, there are statues of kings, rulers, influential politicians and social and literary figures. These personalities had lived from the first millennium BC to contemporary times. The most famous personalities whose statues are in this museum:

• Xerxes: He was an Achaemenid king and the son of Darius the Great. He was born in 521 BC and had conquered Egypt and Babylon in the early days of his reign. He then fought with the Greeks and defeated them. His reign is considered one of the most glorious historical periods of Iran. Xerxes was assassinated in 466 BC by a conspiracy of high-ranking commanders of the imperial guard.

• Shapur I: He is considered one of the most powerful Sassanid kings. He was the son of Ardeshir Papakan, the founder of the Sassanid dynasty. Born in 215 AD, Shapur I ruled from 241 to 272 AD. The wars between Iran and Rome took place during his time. Shapur I was able to defeat Valerian, the Roman emperor during these battles. An image of his victory over Valerian is engraved on the mountains of Fars.

Shapur I's effort for the all-round progress of Iran at that time was very impressive. During his time, many foreign books on medicine, astronomy, and philosophy were translated into Persian, and Jundi Shapur, the most famous university of ancient Iran, was built by his order.

• Hafez: One of the most famous and tasteful Iranian poets who was born in the year 1306 AD. He lost his father when he was still a child and started learning and memorizing the Qur’an from a young age and, therefore, he nicknamed himself “Hafiz”, that is, the one who has memorized the Holy Qur’an in its entirety. Hafez had studied philosophy and literature and was fluent in Arabic.

Hafez always praised human values and criticized the ruler of his time by using the language of metaphor. His works are the best examples of Persian ghazal, which has influenced great people like Johann Wolfgang Goethe.

• Sa’di: Another Iranian poet whose name is mentioned as one of the personalities who had a unique mastery in using the capabilities of the Persian language. He was born in the year 1185 AD and unlike Hafez who spent most of his life in Shiraz, he traveled a lot. Sa’di saw many big cities of his time, and in 1234 AD, after returning to Shiraz, he wrote his two famous books, “Bustan” and “Golestan”. He has repeatedly mentioned his memories of his travels in these two books. Apart from these two books, Sa’di wrote many poems which are considered masterpieces of the Persian language. He passed away in 1269 AD and was buried in Shiraz.

• Karim Khan Zand: Karim Khan is famous as being a just king. He founded the Zand Dynasty and was able to unite all of Iran (except Khorasan) under one flag. Karim Khan made Shiraz his capital and built many buildings in this city. He passed away in the year 1779 AD and was buried in Shiraz.

The Fars Museum of Celebrities houses a collection of wax figures of the most famous personalities of the Fars region of Iran from the past to the present.