TEHRAN – Iran has received 151 historical artifacts that had been loaned to China for a series of exhibitions, with all items returned in good condition after nearly two years, Tehran province’s cultural heritage chief said on Tuesday.
Ali Tolouei, director general of Tehran’s Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Department, said the artifacts arrived in Iran on Tuesday, following the conclusion of their exhibition tour in China, which included a final display in Dalian.
The collection was transferred to secure storage after customs procedures and inter-agency coordination, with officials and experts ensuring compliance with conservation and security requirements, ISNA reported.
The artifacts had been loaned by Iran’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts in 2025 for an exhibition titled “Land of Love,” which opened at the Sichuan University Museum in January, 2025.
The collection included items from several prominent Tehran museums, namely the Reza Abbasi Museum, the Glassware and Ceramic Museum, the Carpet Museum, the Museum of National Arts and the Moghadam Museum.
The objects span a broad historical period, from the third millennium BC to the Islamic era, and comprise metal, ceramic and glass objects, textiles and carpets, highlighting the diversity of Iran’s cultural heritage.
The exhibition was initially scheduled to run for six months under a government-approved arrangement.
Leila Khosravi, head of the country’s museums department, previously said the exhibition had ended in June 2025, but the return of the artifacts was delayed for several months due to the 12-day war [with the Israeli regime]. China subsequently requested an extension, which was approved by Iran’s government.
Tolouei said the successful return of the collection required close coordination among the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, government agencies, airport customs officials and the Cultural Heritage Protection Unit.
He also thanked Chinese authorities for hosting the exhibition and acknowledged the efforts of museum managers, specialists and experts involved in organizing and supporting the cultural event.
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