Introduction to Kashan Puppet Museum
The Puppet Museum House House is located in the historical context of Kashan and in an old house belonging to the Qajar period, dating back more than 150 years ago. The museum is the best place for families to travel to Kashan with their children as some of its parts have currently become an eco-lodge.
History of Kashan Puppet Museum
The historical house belongs to Jafar Allameh Feizi, a poet and cleric of the late Qajar period, was purchased by the director of the museum and after renovation and preparation, has been turned into a museum of toys and dolls. The house of Puppet Museum House is also known as the Sohrabi House. Actually, Mr Sohrabi opened was the one who opened the house as the Toy and Doll Museum after collecting old dolls.
The Museum Collection
The collection that Mr Sohrabi has collected from different cities and the dolls donated by visitors includes toys from the Qajar era to the first factory metal and plastic ones; some of them are even up to 150 years old. Some of these dolls belong to the old puppets or so-called “swindlers” of that time. Puppets, cloth and pottery dolls, and wooden, stone, and mud toys are on showcase here, and the life stories of these dolls are told to visitors by museum guides. Visiting the museum is exciting for children and nostalgic for adults. In such a museum, you will learn more about the culture of people in diverse cities of Iran and countries around the world. Adding dolls to this museum is still going on, and even national dolls from other countries are being joined to the collection, so the anecdotes and legends behind the dolls are not complete.
The Architecture of Kashan Puppet Museum
Sohrabi House consists of 2 floors attached to such a unique museum after the reconstruction of the residential part and seven rooms surrounding the courtyard. The rooms’ architecture has created a bright and colourful atmosphere that will attract your attention when entering the basement, with the wall paintings narrating stories from Shahnameh. The museum ambience is designed with low light so that the dolls can be seen well and are presented in glass containers.
Museum Sections
In the museum, toys and dolls are well divided; hence, while visiting, you will first come across distinctive ones from Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Russia, France, Italy, and Kyrgyzstan, and of course, it is enjoyable to be familiar with the other nation’s dolls. In another museum’s section, the toys are classified according to their types, such as sound-producing or wooden toys. Then you can visit the other part, which is dedicated to contemporary toys. Furthermore, during your visit, the museum guide will explain the date and place of each toy with engaging explanations.
Other Facilities of Kashan Puppet Museum
The remarkable thing about the museum is its pivotal activity so that you can get a wider perspective by participating in particular programs or marquee shows. In addition, part of the museum is dedicated to making dolls, in which interested visitors are taught how to make dolls and toys with simple tools. There is also a shop in the courtyard that enables you to buy several handmade dolls as a gift or even as a souvenir of visiting the museum.