FACULTY OF CONSERVATION & RESTORATION

Dean: Alireza Razeghi, Ph.D

razeghi@art.ac.ir

The Change from the University of Farabi to the University of Art, along with the formation of the country’s Cultural Heritage Organization, was among the most important factors that established the University of Art as the only institute at the postgraduate level for studying the conservation and restoration of cultural and historical artifacts and buildings for over four decades.

In 2015, the Faculty of Conservation and Restoration was officially established as a specialized faculty in postgraduate level in Bagh- Melli campus.

 

History of Faculty:

The  Faculty of Conservation and Restoration was established in 2014 (1394) as a specialized faculty at the postgraduate level, comprising four educational departments: Conservation and Restoration of Cultural and Historical Objects, Restoration and Conservation of Historical Architecture and Urban Fabrics, Museum Studies, and Islamic Arts at the master's level, as well as a doctorate in Conservation and Restoration of Cultural and Historical Objects. The record of the master's degree in the restoration of ancient monuments at the University of Art in 1976 (1355) is considered a turning point in the history of higher education in the Conservation and Restoration in Iran. In 1977 (1356), an educational agreement was drawn up between Dr. Jamshid Behnam, the then-president of Farabi University, and Nosratullah Mojtabaei, Managing Director of the National Organization for the Conservation of Iran's Ancient Monuments, to provide technical staff and manpower. This marked the beginning of student admissions to the restoration master's program at Farabi University (University of Art). After the Islamic Revolution and following a gap of several years, the admission of students in the master's program in conservation and restoration was pursued again in this university. Despite the separation of the two master's courses "Restoration and Conservation of Historical Architecture and Urban Fabrics" and "Conservation and Restoration of Cultural and Historical Objects", and the corresponding change in the content of their educational programs, the transformation of Farabi University, the establishment of the University of Art, and the formation of the country's Cultural Heritage Organization were the most important factors that, during these years, led the University of Art to teach the Restoration and Conservation of Historical Architecture and Urban Fabrics, as well as the Conservation and Restoration of Cultural and Historical Objects, for nearly two decades as the only institution of higher education at the postgraduate level.

After the separation of the Isfahan Campus Faculty from the University of Art and the formation of Isfahan University of Art, there was a break in the admission of students in fields related to restoration at the University of Art in Tehran for a while. In 2015, the Faculty of Conservation and Restoration was officially established as a specialized faculty in postgraduate level in Bagh- Melli campus. The Department of Conservation and Restoration of Cultural and Historical Objects has accepted PhD students since 2013. The Departments of Museum Studies and Islamic Art have accepted students since 2013. The Department of Islamic Art has been admitting students in the field of Persian Painting since 2019. Department of Restoration and Conservation of Historical Architecture and Urban Fabrics has been enrolling students since 2013, and since 2016, students with two orientations have been studying in this department. This department has been accepting students since 2018.

 

The Educational Departments:

General introduction of the Educational Departments of the Faculty of Conservation and Restoration:

• The Educational Department of Conservation and Restoration of Cultural and Historical Objects accepts students in both Master's and Doctorate levels. Faculty members: Dr. Somayeh Noghani (director of the department); Dr. Kouros Samanian
• The Educational Department of Restoration and Revival of Historical Buildings and Textures accepts students in two master's degrees (Urban Heritage & Architectural Heritage) and a doctorate in this field. Faculty members: Dr. Alireza Razeghi (director of the department); Dr. Ali Zamani Fard
• The Educational Department of Museum Studies accepts students at the master's level. Faculty members: Dr. Kouros Samanian (director of the department); Dr. Said Khoddari Naini
• The Educational Department of Islamic Art accepts students in the master's degree with a focus on Persian painting. Faculty members: Dr. Hanieh Nikkhah (director of the department); Dr. Negar Kafili

---

• Department of Conservation & Restoration of Cultural & Historical Objects
• The Department of Conservation and Restoration Historic Architecture and urban Fabrics
• Department of Museum Studies
• Department of Islamic Art

 

Faculty facilities:

With the enhancement of facilities and analytical instruments in the Conservation and Restoration Laboratory at Iran University of Art, specialized laboratory services have been made available to students in this field, as well as individuals from related and unrelated disciplines who require analytical support using the existing equipment. In addition to the Conservation and Restoration Laboratory, the faculty now includes the Documentation Laboratory, further expanding its research and analytical capabilities. These laboratories engage in a diverse range of scientific activities, including chemical analysis, instrumental techniques, physical and microscopic examinations, as well as various workshop-based experiments. click here.

Library and Documentation Center of the faculty:

This library operates as a branch of the Central Library and Documentation Center. Established in 2007 (1386), it provides a dedicated reading room for students and houses an extensive collection comprising 9,285 volumes of Persian books and 4,160 volumes of English books. Additionally, the library maintains a specialized thesis collection, including 1,198 graduate and postgraduate dissertations. Library services are available to visitors from Saturday to Wednesday, between 8:00 AM and 3:00 PM. Moreover, students have access to 14 scientific databases, electronic journals, e-books, electronic reference materials, and the portal of scientific journals, facilitating comprehensive academic research.

Conservation and Restoration Laboratory & Workshop:

The conservation and restoration laboratory of the University of Art was established in 2017 with the aim of optimizing and upgrading laboratory facilities and equipment in the Department of Conservation and Restoration of Historical and Cultural Objects. Due to the increase in the number of students in fields related to conservation and restoration, along with the need to provide research facilities for these students, and on the other hand, the lack of specialized laboratories that can meet the specific needs of students in this field, the foundation of the conservation and restoration laboratory was initiated.

The requirement for conservation and restoration students to perform instrumental analyses with special settings is caused by the unique nature of ancient materials, restrictions on sampling and working with historical objects, the very small amount of samples, the inappropriate size of samples, and the lack of experts and experienced machine operators for such tasks. This situation often leads to the loss of capital and time, resulting in inadequate results for researchers in this field. Fortunately, with the improvement of facilities and analysis devices in the Conservation and Restoration Laboratory of the University of Art, specialized laboratory services suitable for the field of conservation and restoration have been provided to students in this field, as well as to others who require analysis using the existing devices. The Conservation and Restoration Laboratory, conducts various laboratory activities, including chemical analysis methods, instrumental analyses, physical and microscopic laboratory activities, as well as diverse workshop activities.

Some of the activities of this laboratory are:

• Research Activities in the Framework of Master's and Doctoral Theses 
• Spectroscopic and Elemental Analyses:

• Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis of samples. 
• Attenuated total reflectance (ATR) analysis using FTIR. 
• UV-Vis spectrophotometric analysis of samples. 
• Portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis for elemental identification. 

• Advanced Chemical Analyses:

• Identifying cations and anions in different samples using chemical identifiers, determining the acidity of historical materials, and identifying pigments and dyes. 

• Microscopic and Instrumental Examinations:

• Investigating sample surfaces under loupe and normal/polarized light microscopes. 
• Microscopic imaging using transmission, reflection, and polarizing light microscopes. 

• Material Identification and Characterization:

• Identifying fibers in historical artifacts such as paper, textiles, and wood. 
• Determining the specific weight of stones and materials using the immersion method. 

• Environmental and Aging Studies: 

• Aging laboratory samples under controlled conditions of temperature, humidity, and light. 
• Cultivation of fungi found in historical artifacts to analyze the effects of different environments. 

• Physical Property Measurements: 

• Determining moisture levels inside wood using a wood moisture meter. 
• Measuring and recording UV light, infrared radiation, temperature, and humidity using a light meter and hygrometer. 
• Determining the compressive strength of objects using a compressive resistance device. 
• Measuring tensile strength of materials such as paper, glue, fibers, and polymers using a tensile strength device. 

• Sample Preparation and Processing: 
• Preparing longitudinal and transverse sections and microscopic slides using slide, lamellar, hot/cold mount, and polishing techniques.

Faculty Members:

Name	The Department	Position	academic Rank	Email
Prof. Samad Samanian	conservation and restoration of cultural and historical objects	Dean of the faculty	professor	samanian@art.ac.ir
Dr. Somayeh Noghani	conservation and restoration of cultural and historical objects	director of the department	Assistant Professor	s.noghani@art.ac.ir
Dr. Kouros Samanian	conservation and restoration of cultural and historical objects	Faculty member	Associate Professor	k.samanian@art.ac.ir
Dr. Kouros Samanian	Museum Studies	director of the department	Assistant Professor	k.samanian@art.ac.ir
Dr. Said Khoddari Naini	Museum Studies	Faculty member	Associate Professor	s.khoddari@art.ac.ir
Dr. Alireza Razeghi	Restoration and Revival of Historical Buildings and Textures	director of the department	Associate Professor	razeghi@art.ac.ir
Dr. Ali Zamani Fard	Restoration and Revival of Historical Buildings and Textures	Faculty member	Associate Professor	zamanifard@art.ac.ir
Dr. Hanieh Nikkhah	Islamic art	director of the department	Assistant Professor	h.nikkhah@art.ac.ir
Dr. Negar Kafili	Islamic art	Faculty member	Assistant Professor

 

Now Faculty of Conservation and Restoration offers these programs:

 

Museum Association, Protection and Restoration of Historical Monuments of Iran:

The Association of Museums, Preservation and Restoration of Historical Monuments of Iran, under the supervision of the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, under the leadership of the University of Art, in 2012, succeeded in receiving the license to establish the association in Tehran. The association aims to expand, promote and promote science in the fields of science related to the museum, protection and restoration of cultural, historical, artistic works and other related fields, and on the other hand, the qualitative development of expert forces, improving educational and research matters in the fields of museum studies. , protection and restoration of cultural, historical and artistic works was able to assemble its founding board from among the faculty members of Iranian universities. Then, the members of the board of directors have been elected through the holding of the general assembly and elections.

The board members of the association in each period include 7 main members, 3 alternate members, one main inspector and one alternate inspector, who are currently working on the fourth term of the board of the association.

Some of the activities of the association since its establishment until now include:

• Licensee of Iran's Museum, Preservation and Restoration of Historical Artifacts magazine (the only specialized magazine in the field of museum and preservation and restoration of historical-cultural objects in Iran)
• Holding workshops, meetings, book launch and review sessions, and specialized seminars (especially on the occasion of World Museum Day and Cultural Heritage Week in the last week of May every year, as well as research week).
• Planning and setting up scientific trips
• Planning and setting up art exhibitions for students
• Publication of three issues of the news magazine
• Planning and setting up of the moral heritage ceremony

 

The Moral Heritage:

For more than 7 years, the Moral Heritage of The Faculty of Conservation and Restoration has been continuously covering vulnerable groups in two separate programs and will try to provide assistance in order to pay attention to the intangible dimensions of heritage, which is the spiritual heritage of charity throughout history. Iran is the land to reach the needy and vulnerable groups and orphaned children. The first group is to equip disadvantaged children from different regions of the country for education and learning and to continue their academic and intellectual growth in the deprived regions of the country, and the second group is to feed the weak sections of different regions of Tehran, which with the help of God, the 14th gathering of spiritual heritage was held with the participation and companionship of teachers, students, and colleagues, graduates of University of Art, interested parties and also the cooperation of the Museum Association, Protection & Restoration of Historical Monuments of Iran, which succeeded in preparing and distributing nearly 1400 meals in care centers for orphaned and badly cared for children, as well as the homeless and those in need of help.

 

Contact Information:

Address: # 56, Sakhai St., Hafez ave., Tehran 1136813518, Iran

Tel: +98 (21) 66725686

Email: Conservation.restoration@art.ac.ir