Tehran Travel Guide | Iran Travel Guide
Tehran
Bozorg (Greater Tehran), the capital of the Islamic Republic of Iran
and center of Tehran Province as well. Tehran is one of the largest
metropolitans of the world, and it is the country's largest economic
center and the base for its large and small modern technological and
industrial establishments. Located on the slopes of the mountains and
at the foot of the magnificent Mount Damavand, it has been the
country's capital city for over 200 years now. Nearly 14 Million people
live in Tehran in contrast to two hundred thousand in 1920.
Nearly 12 Million people live in Tehran Bozorg in contrast to two
hundred thousand in 1920. Tehran is immense and proliferates like a
coral reef, but in an orderly manner. Nine-tenths of the built up area
is in square blocks with absolutely straight boulevards. The visitor
who has been away for a while can no longer find the way around the
city. New roads link the western part of the city to the northern
quarters. Towering buildings have been erected right and left. Large
stores, super-markets, self-service shops have been opened, public
buildings, government departments and monuments have been built and an
array of giant cranes show the development fever.
Tehran is
pleasant, it derives its originality from its dry climate, always cool
in the evening, the nearness of the mountains, its numerous parks and
gardens where flowers blossom throughout the year, the alleys of young
plan-trees in the avenues or even smaller streets, the water which runs
down from the upper city along deep and wide gutters which look like
small rivers during spring.
Tehran became a capital in the
19th century. Its more ancient monuments bear the marks of that period
when everywhere in the world, taste had degenerated. Furthermore, its
rapid growth explains the proliferations of houses without any style,
fortunately laid out in square blocks, but anonymous, without harmony,
grey, with never a flower on their window-sills. The baroque and
pretentious appearance of certain facades, particularly banks, built
twenty or thirty years ago, do nothing to improve the city's appearance.
The [[Alborz]] range separates the central plateau front the lush Caspian
littoral, the only part of the country where the rainfall is plentiful.
The highest peak in the country, Mt. Damavand, is an extinct volcano
covered in snow for most of the year.
During the reign of Mohammad
Reza Shah [[Pahlavi]] (1941–79) the city was rapidly modernized, partly the
result of a booming petroleum industry. Following the overthrow of the
shah in 1979, the city's development was hampered by economic
difficulties resulting from the Iran-Iraq War, underinvestment, and
factional strife. Growth and modernization accelerated during the
1990s, due in large part to economic liberalization under President
Mohammad [[Khatami]].
The highest peak in the country, Mount
Damavand (5,678 m), which is an extinct volcano covered in snow for
most of the year with its visibility from Tehran has an attractive
appeal for adventurers and climbers.
History
Excavations place the existence of settlements in Tehran as far back as 6000 BCE.
Tehran was well known as a village in the 9th century, but was less
well-known than the city of Rhages which was flourishing nearby in the
early era. In the 13th century, following the destruction of Ray by
Mongols, many of its inhabitants escaped to Tehran. In some sources of
the early era, the city is mentioned as "Rhages's Tehran" . The city is
later mentioned in Hamdollah Mostowfi's Nuz'hat al-Qulub (written in
1340) as a famous village.
Don Ruy Gonzáles de Clavijo, a
Castilian ambassador, was probably the first European to visit Tehran,
stopping in July 1404, while on a journey to Samarkand (now in
Uzbekistan) and the Mongol capital at the time. At this time, the city
of Tehran was unwalled.
Tehran became a residence of the
Safavid rulers in the 17th century. Tahmasp I built a bazaar and a wall
around the city, but it somewhat fell out of favor after Abbas I turned
sick when he was passing the city to go to a war with the Uzbeks.
In the early of 18th century, Karim Khan [[Zand]] ordered a palace, a
harem, and a government office to be built in Tehran, possibly to
declare the city his capital, but later moved his government to Shiraz.
Tehran finally became the capital of Persia in 1795, when the [[Qajar]]
king Agha Mohammad Khan was crowned in the city. It remains the capital
to this day.
During World War II, British and Soviet troops
entered the city. Tehran was the site of the Tehran Conference in 1943,
attended by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime
Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin.
Following the war, the city's older landmarks suffered under the rule
of Mohammad Reza Shah. The Shah believed that ancient buildings such as
large parts of the Golestan Palace, Takieh-ye Dowlat, the Toopkhaneh
Square (pictured to the right), the magnificent city fortifications and
the old citadel among others should not be part of a modern city. They
were systematically destroyed and modern 1950s and 1960s buildings were
built in their place. Tehran bazar was divided in half and many
historic buildings were destroyed in order to build wide straight
avenues in the capital. Many excellent examples of Persian Gardens also
became targets to new construction projects. The decision to carry
these out is presently largely seen as a foolish mistake that hurt the
visual fabric and the cultural identity of the city beyond repair.
Apartment blocks are introduced in this period.
On September
8, 1978, demonstrations against the Shah led to riots. The army
reportedly opened fire on the demonstrating mob. Martial law was
installed in the wake of the ensuing revolution, from 1978–79.
During the 1980–88 Iran-Iraq War, Tehran was the scene of repeated Scud
missile attacks and air strikes against random residential and
industrial targets within the city, resulting in thousands of civilian
casualties. Material damage was repaired soon after each strike.
Tehran attracts war refugees in millions.
After the war, cheap Soviet-style apartments multiplied throughout the
city without any plan. At present, little is left of Tehran's old
quarters. Instead, modern high-rise buildings dominate the city's
skyline and new modern apartments have and are replacing the few
remaining old houses at a rapid pace. Tehran-style home architecture
has almost vanished completely. This is often referred to as "Tehran
identity Disaster"
Tehran is also home to many grand Mansions in the North of the city and the "Shahrak e Gharb" District.
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