Sarpur – Iceland’s Cultural-Historical Database

Sarpur provides access to Iceland’s rich cultural heritage. The database holds more than 1.5 million records contributed by around 60 museums and institutions across the country. These include artworks, artifacts, photographs, archaeological finds, natural history items, buildings, and folk customs. Much of the material is available here online, though certain content is restricted due to copyright or data protection laws.

Sarpur’s history goes back to 1998. In 2025, the fourth version of the system was launched, built on Zetcom’s MuseumPlus and eMuseumPlus solutions.

The system is owned and operated by Rekstrarfélag Sarps, while each member museum is responsible for registering and publishing its own data, including the texts and images displayed on the site.

Goals of the Website

  • Provide public and scholarly access to Icelandic cultural heritage.
  • Showcase the collections of Sarpur’s member museums.
  • Support research, collaboration, and education.
  • Encourage dialogue through the “Do you know more?” button, which invites visitors to share additional knowledge about objects with the museums.

Use of Material

For inquiries about images or records in Sarpur, please contact the relevant museum directly.

See the Terms of Use for details on ordering, image use, and how to cite material from the website.


About Searching on sarpur.is

You can enter a search term or use Advanced Search to narrow down results with filters. With Sort by, you can display results in different orders, for example by the age of the items or by most recently registered.

  • If you check “Show only objects in Exhibition”, only items currently exhibited in the museums will be shown.
  • If you check “Show only objects with images”, only items that include an image will appear.

You can also use search commands to refine your query and get more precise results.


Search Operators Overview

  1. AND
    Description: Both (or more) search terms must be present in the results.
    Example: chair AND wood
  2. OR
    Description: Either search term can be present.
    Example: woman OR boy
  3. NOT
    Description: Words that must not be included in the results.
    Example: chair NOT wood
  4. Groups (())
    Description: Groups complex search commands to control search logic.
    Example: (woman OR boy) AND chair
  5. Multiple Characters (*)
    Description: Finds words that start with the same root, regardless of ending.
    Example: portr* (finds portrait, portrét, etc.)
  6. Single Character (?)
    Description: Represents exactly one character.
    Example: tr? (finds tre or tré)