© Lonely Planet Publications 92 lonelyplanet.com TEHRAN •• History 93 HISTORY ence far greater than most people realise. TEHRAN Archaeologists believe people have lived in The capital has fomented and hosted two this area since Neolithic times, but apart revolutions, two coups d’etat and much from 11th-century AD records suggesting intrigue. As the setting for the CIA’s first ﺗﻬﺮﺍﻥ TEHRAN Tehran the village produced high-quality pome- coup in 1953 ( p37 ), it had a profound im- granates, little was written about Teh ran pact on post-WWII world politics; and as until the 13th century. In his book Mo’jamol pronouncements from Tehran have been Boldan, writer Yaqoot Hamavi described the driving force behind the growth of With its relatively short history, ugly masks of concrete and smog, and manic streets Tehran as a village of Rey, then the major radical Islam since 1979, that influence has flowing hot with machines, many travellers and no small number of Tehranis will tell you urban centre in the region, where ‘rebellious not waned. there’s no reason to hang around in the capital. But to take their advice is to miss out. inhabitants’ lived in underground dwell- Today it is fascinating to walk in the For while Esfahan or Persepolis could mount a convincing case for being the soul of Iran, ings. He went on: ‘They not only disregard footsteps of that modern history: you can their governors, but are in constant clashes see the White Palace at Sa’d Abad ( p109 ), Tehran is indisputably its big, loud, chaotic, dynamic and ugly beating heart. among themselves, to the extent that the where the last shah hosted the CIA’s Kermit inhabitants of its 12 quarters cannot visit Roosevelt as they plotted the overthrow of This tightly packed city of about 15 million is where change happens first. Politically and each other’. Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh; socially it’s Iran’s cutting edge, and from the relatively bold fashion statements of its youth In 1220 the Mongols sacked Rey as they visit the former US embassy now called the to the range of restaurants, cafés and art galleries, as a visitor you can’t help but notice. swept across Persia (see p32 ), executing US Den of Espionage ( p107 ); gaze up at thousands in the process. Most of those who the Azadi Tower ( p114 ), where hundreds However, Tehran is also a city of contrasts that play out on geographic lines. It is modern escaped wound up in Tehran and the fu- of thousands of people gathered to mark and traditional, secular and religious, rich and poor – north and south. Most of the spark ture capital’s first ever population explosion the 1979 revolution; or visit the haunting comes from the affluent north, but wander through southern Tehran and you’ll see a con- turned the village into a small, moderately Behesht-e Zahra cemetery ( p131 ), where prosperous trading centre. the faces of soldiers who died in the Iran– trastingly conservative, religious and poor city with little of the north’s brashness. In the mid-16th century Tehran’s natural Iraq War stare out from endless fields of At a practical level, Tehran has a decent choice of hotels and the best range of res- setting, many trees, clear rivers and good glass boxes. hunting brought it to the attention of the taurants in Iran. There are enough museums to keep you interested, and compared with early Safavid king, Tahmasb I. Under his ORIENTATION residents of many capitals, Tehranis are surprisingly welcoming. Certainly, some travellers patronage, gardens were laid out, brick Tehran is so vast and so congested that get- will find Tehran’s traffic, smog and uncontrolled urban sprawl overwhelming. But persist – houses and caravanserais built and a wall ting lost here is inevitable. Thankfully, most or better, make short repeat visits – and you’ll find it opening up to you in ever more- with 114 towers erected to protect the town of the streets you’re likely to visit have signs rewarding ways. and its merchants. As it continued to grow in English, though there are still some areas under later Safavid kings, European visitors without signs in any language. wrote of Tehran’s many enchanting vine- As you move through the city the huge yards and gardens. social and economic gaps between northern Threatened by the encroaching Qajars, and southern Tehran are plain to see. The HIGHLIGHTS regent Karim Khan Zand moved his army south is older, cheaper, more congested and to Tehran in 1758. At the same time he generally less appealing. However, it has al- Take in the over-the-top opulence of the refortified the city and began constructing most all the budget hotels, especially around Golestan Palace ( p101 ), a monument to a royal residence. Perhaps he had intended Imam Khomeini Sq, which also hosts the Qajar excess to move his capital here, but when Qajar main station on the growing Tehran Metro Gaze in wonder at the 51,366-gem Globe of chieftain Mohammed Hasan Khan was and has a local bus terminal nearby. The Jewels in the National Jewels Museum ( p105 ) killed and his young son Agha Mohammed north is more inviting, more expensive, has Khan taken hostage, Karim Khan decided cleaner air and a range of better hotels and Ski the slopes of Dizin ( p133 ) and Shemshak the threat was over and abandoned the un- more exotic restaurants. ( p133 ) for a fraction of what you’d pay at home Dizin finished palace to return to Shiraz. The main street and top shopping strip Relax Tehran-style by taking a mountain walk Shemshak But things didn’t work out quite as Karim is Valiasr Ave, which runs from Rah-Ahan from Darband ( p113 ) to Park-e Jamshidiyeh Khan would have liked. By 1795 he was Sq and the train station in poorer southern ( p113 ), enjoying the views, food and company Tehran long dead and his one-time prisoner, Agha Tehran all the way to Tajrish Sq in the foot- en route Mohammed Khan, declared this dusty town hills of the Alborz Mountains in the north – a Gird your loins and climb aboard a motorcycle of around 15,000 souls his capital. distance of more than 20km. It’s a great street taxi ( p99 ) for a trip across peak-hour Tehran – As the centre of Qajar Persia, Tehran to find when you’re lost. One of the main a white-knuckle ride you’re unlikely to forget steadily expanded. By 1900 it had grown east–west thoroughfares is Azadi Ave, which to 250,000 people, and in the 20th century starts at the Azadi Tower, near the Mehrabad TELEPHONE CODE: 021 POPULATION: ABOUT 15 MILLION into one of the most-populous cities on International Airport, and becomes Enqelab earth. With this growth has come an influ- Ave east of Enqelab Sq. 94 TEHRAN •• RunningSubhead lonelyplanet.com lonelyplanet.com TEHRAN •• Information 95 0 2 km It’s handy to remember that the Alborz TEHRAN TEHRAN 0 1.0 miles Maps 10 14 Mountains are known locally as the North If you’re only stopping in Tehran for a few Star of Tehran for a reason – yes, they’re in days and seeing the major sights, the maps TEHRAN INFORMATION Darband the north. And as the whole city slopes down in this chapter – redrawn from aerial photo- Azerbaijan Embassy........................1 D1 15 Niyavaran Bank Melli......................................2 C2 7 from these mountains, if you’re walking up- graphs – should be adequate. You’ll need Jamaran Book City Niyavaran Store..............3 D1 3 Velenjak t Shahid 13 hill that usually means you’re going north. a more detailed map if you want to visit S Dehkhoda Institute....................(see 11) i Bahonar y Irish Embassy..................................4 D1 Metro stations north of a Sq 5 If you plan to use public transport – or remote suburbs, or – if you have an uncon- q 18 Lavasa t Mirdamad opening from 2009 n A S i New Zealand Embassy....................5 D1 21 Ave 4 22 h any transport – it helps to learn the names trollable yearning for danger – drive. Your Shemiran e Sweden Embassy............................6 D1 y 6 11 i n Tajikistan Embassy.........................7 D1 1 a and locations of the main squares as soon best bet is to get the latest Tehran map from Tajrish r Turkmenistan Embassy..................8 D2 Sq m a as you can; see Getting Around ( p126 ) for Gita Shenasi (Map pp102-3 ; x6670 9335; www.gita Uzbek Embassy............................(see 6) Evin K 2 transport options. shenasi.com; 15 Ostad Shahrivar St, Razi St, Valiasr Cross- SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Tehran Elahiyeh Qeitariyeh roads, Enqelab-e Eslami Ave; h8am-6pm Sat-Wed & Azadi Tower (Borj-e Azadi)............9 A5 16 Tehran has two international airports International See Valiasr Ave & Northern Tehran Map (p110) Darband Ski Lift............................w10y C1 Trade Fair xp ( p123 ): the older Mehrabad airport on the 8am-1pm Thu). It will be big and comprehen- E Eshtejariyeh Film MuseumY of Iran....................am 11 C1 K adegar -e Im a e v western edge of the city near Azadi Sq; and sive, and is updated most years – push the Milad Tower (Borj-e Milad)..........12 B3 v e h A y e Niyavaran Palace Museum...........13 D1 r ) ollah Av w K duz the new Imam Khomeini International buzzer to be let in. s n p t) a la a (Dow Park-e Jamshidiyeh.......................14 D1 x i l E iyay d e r N a sh Zargandeh Airport 35km south of the city. If you’re o Gholhak Sa'd Abad Museum Complex.......15 C1 n V a B J r ( lv m S d y h coming or going by bus, you’ll need to use a INFORMATION a t SLEEPING h y w r S 8 C i w H a Darous n t H a one of four bus terminals ( p124 ).