Iran seizes the Museum of Contemporary Arts in Al-Ahwaz
In a move that sparked widespread outrage among Al-Ahwazi cultural circles, Iranian authorities have taken control of the Museum of Contemporary Arts in the city of Al-Ahwaz.
The museum, once managed by Al-Ahwazi artists, was considered a symbol of the Arab cultural identity in the occupied region.
The seizure took place on Saturday morning, in the presence of representatives from Iran’s administrative bodies in Al-Ahwaz, including the public prosecutor and officials from the so-called Department of Culture and Islamic Guidance.
They announced the “recovery” of the museum and its reopening under their direct supervision, ending eleven years of local management by Al-Ahwazi citizens.
Founded in 2009, the Museum of Contemporary Arts is one of the most significant cultural institutions in Al-Ahwaz. It once housed around seventy artworks reflecting the spirit of Al-Ahwazi Arab creativity, before Iranian authorities began a systematic policy to erase its identity and turn it into a propaganda tool.
Al-Ahwazi artists say what Tehran calls a “recovery” is, in fact, another act of seizure targeting one of the region’s cultural landmarks, as part of Iran’s ongoing policy to erase Arab identity and confiscate all symbols of Al-Ahwazi history and heritage.
