National Library and Archive of Iran

The National Library and Archives of Iran (NLAI) or National Library of the Islamic Republic of Iran is located in Tehran, Iran, with twelve branches across the country. The NLAI is an educational, research, scientific, and service institute authorized by the Islamic Consultative Assembly. Its president is appointed by the President of Iran. The NLAI is the largest library in the Middle East and includes more than fifteen-million items in its collections. Iran's national library and national archives began as separate institutions. In 2002, the two merged to form the National Library and Archives of Iran, but continue to operate in two independent buildings. The prototype of a national library in Iran was the Library of Dar al-Funun College, established in 1851. The college's small library collection became the cornerstone of the National Library. In 1899, another institution called the Nation's Library opened in Tehran. In 1934, Mehdi Bayani became the director of the Public Library of Education. In his efforts to solve space problems at the Public Library of Education, he promoted establishing a National Library of Iran to Ali-Asghar Hekmat, then Minister of Education. The National Library of Iran was established in 1937. Mehdi Bayani served as the National Library's first director. André Godard, a French archaeologist and architect who designed the Museum of Ancient Iran, was asked to design a library building similar to the museum as the two would be adjacent. As the collection expanded, the library was housed in several buildings throughout Tehran. In 1994, the Commissioning Organization for Public State Buildings of Ministry of Housing and Urban Development held a national competition to design a new building. The new building was constructed between 1996 and 2004 in Abbasabad, Tehran. Yousef Shariatzadeh (Persian:یوسف شریعت زاده), Mohsen Mirheydar, and Yadollah Razaghi of Pirraz Consulting Planners, Architects and Engineers designed the building. which cost $53,930,769 USD.