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The capital and largest city of Iran, in the north-central part of the country south of the Caspian Sea. A commercial and industrial center, it became the capital of Persia (Iran) in 1788 and was modernized under Shah Muhnammed Reza Pahlavi (ruled 1941–1979). Population: 7,800,000.
For more information on Tehran, visit Britannica.com.
Capital of Iran since the late eighteenth century.
In 1800, Tehran was a small city with an estimated population of 20,000; it was surrounded by twenty-foot mud walls with four gates. The wall was encircled by a moat, which was up to 40 feet wide and between 20 and 30 feet deep. Although several new buildings were constructed during the reign of Fath Ali Shah Qajar (1797 - 1834), the first major expansion of Tehran dates from the reign of Naser al-Din Shah (1848 - 1896), the third Qajar monarch. The old walls were pulled down, plans for an octagonal wall on a French model were followed, and twelve gates were built. New grounds were added to the city compound, as well as large boulevards and imposing public and private buildings, designed with many European features. The city had a small railway leading to a place of pilgrimage in the south, and the summer resorts in the Alborz Mountains in the north were developed and became popular with richer Tehranis. In 1852, a first census and a count of all the buildings were made, which show how small the city still was: It had only 12,772 buildings, 8,697 houses, and 4,220 shops. The second census, prepared in 1869, gave the population as 150,000.
Tehran's second phase of development dates to the reign (1926 - 1941) of Reza Shah Pahlavi, founder of the Pahlavi dynasty. The city was expanded outside its old walls, especially to the north and the northwest. A notable feature was the neoclassical buildings, designed mainly by European architects, especially exiles fleeing the Russian Revolution but also Iranians who had studied abroad. Houses began to be built facing outward, to the street, instead of inward, to the courtyard, and streets were planned for the passage of automobiles. The ornate gates, a special feature of old Tehran, were pulled down, as were many buildings of the Qajar dynasty period.
Tehran's third phase of development dates to the early 1950s, when a new generation of Iranian architects and technocrats, who had studied in U.S. universities, returned to erase many of the remaining features of the old city. Tehran began expanding rapidly and haphazardly, because of the petroleum industry, oil-induced construction, and the industrialization boom of the 1960s and 1970s. Between 1956 and 1976, the city's population tripled, from 1.5 million to 4.5 million. Despite the economic, political, and social upheavals caused by the Iranian Revolution (1979) and the Iran - Iraq War (1980 - 1988), Tehran's population continued to grow at an average annual rate of 3.5 percent from the mid-1970s to the late 1980s. Thereafter, population growth declined by about 1 percent per year within the city, but nearby towns and rural areas experienced rapid growth as they were developed as suburban communities to the east, south, and west of Tehran. According to the 1996 census, a total of 6,759,000 people lived in the city of Tehran; more than 1.3 million lived in suburbs, including the densely populated communities of Islamshahr and Karaj.
Bibliography
Adamec, Ludwig W., ed. Historical Gazetteer of Iran, Vol. 1, Tehran and Northwestern Iran. Graz, Austria: Akademische Drucku, 1976.
Ettehadieh, Mansoureh. "Patterns in Urban Development: The Growth of Tehran, 1852 - 1903." In Qajar Iran: Political, Social and Cultural Change, 1800 - 1925, edited by Edmund Bosworth and Carole Hillen-brand. Edinburgh, U.K.: Edinburgh University Press, 1983.
Firoozi, Ferydoon. "Tehran: A Demographic and Economic Analysis." Middle Eastern Studies 10, no. 1 (Jan. 1974): 60 - 67.
— MANSOUREH ETTEHADIEH
UPDATED BY ERIC HOOGLUND
Capital of Iran and the largest city in the country; located in northern Iran.
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The country code is: 98
The city code is: 21
Local Time: Jul 20, 4:26 AM
| Tehran تهران |
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| Nickname: The city of 72 nations. | |||
 
Tehran
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| Coordinates: | |||
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| Country |  Iran |
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| Province | Tehran | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf | ||
| Area | |||
| - City | km² ( sq mi) | ||
| - Urban | km² ( sq mi) | ||
| - Metro | km² ( sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | m ( ft) | ||
| Population (2006) | |||
| - City | |||
| - Density | /km² (/sq mi) | ||
| - Metro | {{formatnum:14,000,000[citation needed]}} | ||
| Data from 2006 Census [1] | |||
| Time zone | IRST ([[UTC+3:30]]) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | not observed ([[UTC+3:30]]) | ||
| Website: http://www.tehran.ir | |||
Tehran (IPA: [tʰehˈɾɒn]; Persian: تهران Tehrān) is the capital and largest city of Iran and the administrative center of Tehran Province.
More than half of Iran's industry is based in Tehran.[citation needed] Industries include the manufacturing of automobiles, electronics and electrical equipment, military weaponry, textiles, sugar, cement, and chemical products. It is also a leading center for the sale of carpets and furniture. There is an oil refinery south of the city.
Tehran is a sprawling city at the foot of the Alborz mountain range with an immense network of highways unparalleled in western Asia. It is also the hub of the country's railway network. The city has numerous large museums, art centers, palace complexes and cultural centers.
In the 20th century, Tehran faced a large migration of people from all around Iran. Today, the city contains a mix of various ethnic and religious minorities, and is filled with many historic mosques, churches, synagogues and Zoroastrian fire temples.
There are various theories pertaining to the origin of the name Tehran.
The official City of Tehran website says that "Tehran" comes from the Persian words "Tah" meaning "end or bottom" and "Ran" meaning "[mountain] slope"—literally, bottom of the mountain slope. Given Tehran's geographic position at the bottom of the slope of the Alborz Mountains, this appears to be the most plausible explanation of the origin of the name of the city (دامنه ی بین دو کوه).
A second theory holds that the word "Tehran" is derived from Tiran/Tirgan, "The Abode of Tir" (Tir being the Zoroastrian Angel of Rain). The ancient Parthian town of Tiran was a neighbor to the town of Mehran ("The Abode of Mehr/Mithra", the Zoroastrian Angel of Water). Both of these were mere villages in the suburbs of the great city of Ray/Rhages. Mehran is still extant and forms a residential district inside Greater Tehran as well as Ray, which forms the southern suburbs of Tehran.
The third theory is that Tehran means "a warm place", as opposed to "a cool place" (e.g. Shemiran)—a cooler district in northern Tehran. Some current texts in this regard claim that the word Tehran in Persian means "warm mountain slope" (دامنه گرم).
![Azadi Square is currently the symbol of Tehran.[citation needed]](http://www.answers.com/main/Record2?a=NR&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcommons.wikimedia.org%2Fwiki%2FImage%3AAzadi1.jpg)
Excavations place the existence of settlements in Tehran as far back as 6000 BC.[citation needed] 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[citation needed], and a government office to be built in Tehran, possibly to declare the
city his capital, but later moved his government to
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 Toopkhooneh 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
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".[citation needed]
The city of Tehran had a population of about 11 million people at the time of the last official census in 2006 [2].
With its cosmopolitan air, Tehran houses diverse ethnic and linguistics groups from all over the country and represents the ethnic/linguistic composition of Iran (with a different percentage though). More than 60 percent of Tehranis were born outside Tehran.
Tehran is the largest Persian-speaking city in the world and Tehrani-spoken Persian is the standard spoken form of Persian language used throughout the country. Although indigenous people of Tehran before 19th century were Mazandaranis (Still residing in the southern slops of Elburz), today the majority of Tehran residents are Persians who speak many different dialects of Persian corresponding to their hometown, including Esfahani, Shirazi, Yazdi, Khuzestani, Dari, Judeo-Persian, etc. The second largest linguistic group is that of the Azeri-speakers.[citation needed]
Other minority linguistic groups include Kurds, Mazandarani, Gilaks, Lurs, Baluch,Qashqa'i, Turkmen, Arab, Armenian, Bakhtiari, Assyrian, Talysh etc. There are also a number of a few long established linguistic minorities such as Punjabi-speaking sikhs & Domari-speaking Romas. A number of Levantine Arabic speakers of Lebanese origin also live in Tehran.
The rush of Afghan and Iraqi refugees in recent years has affected Tehran and now there are sizeable Tajik, Hazara, Pashtuns, Uzbek, and Iraqi Arab communities in Tehran who make up an important source of cheap work force for the development of the city.
The predominant majority of Tehranis are the followers of Shia Islam and the minorities include believers of different sects of Sunni Islam, Zoroastrianism, Bahai Faith, Judaism, and Christianity, including the adherents of the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East, Armenian Apostolic Church, Roman Catholic Church, Chaldean Catholic Church, Protestant Church, Iranian Church, Armenian Evangelical Church, Jama'at-e Rabbani (Assemblies of God), Armenian Brotherhood Church, Russian Orthodox Church, and Presbyterian Church.
There are also small groups of Sikhs, Hindus, Buddhists, Mandeans, Spiritualists, Atheists, Azalis, Yazidis, Yarsan, Ismaili, Secular Muslims and the followers of Mystic Islam.
 Hasanabad district near the old Bazaar of Tehran |
 Keshavarz Blvd |
 Borj-e Sefid (The White Tower) in Pasdaran Avenue |
 Modern highrises of Elahiyeh district |
 Modern highrises of Atisaz Residential Complex |
 Farmaniyeh at night |
 Niavaran, Northern Tehran |
 Northeastern Tehran |
 Bokharest Street |
 Vanak Square |
 Pasdaran Street, Northeasten Tehran. |
 Sadeghiye Square, western Tehran |
 Tehran is full of modern highways |
 Ferdowsi Square, Central Tehran |
 Azadi Tower, symbol of the capital |
 Tehran Theater |
 Azadi Stadium. |
 A restaurant in Darband |
The Azadi Tower is the first landmark visitors come across when arriving from the Mehrabad International Airport. The tower has for many years been an icon for Tehran and a national symbol of Iran.
Tehran suffers from extremely serious traffic congestion and pollution problems. Respiratory ailments such as asthma are very common. Tehran has become so congested over the past decade that the government has considered moving the nation's capital to another city to alleviate these problems and help de-centralize the economy and population.[citation needed] But because Iran's economy and politics are so centralized, millions have little choice but to live and work in Tehran.[citation needed]
The huge Tehran International Fair organizes many expositions. Its book expositions are especially popular. Tehran is also the seat of Iran's Parliament (the Majlis). And Tehran is also home to the world's fourth tallest free standing structure, the Milad Tower, and also Iran's tallest building, Tehran International Tower.
The Tehran International Trade and Conventions Center, also called The Milad Complex, is one of the largest structures in Iranian architecture. It is scheduled to be finished in late 2007. The complex contains the world's 4th highest tower which has several restaurants, a five star hotel, a convention center, a world trade center, and an IT park . The complex seeks to respond to the needs of business in the globalized world of the 21st century by offering facilities combining trade, information, communication, convention and accommodation all in one place. The Milad Tower is predicted to replace the long-time symbol of Tehran, the Azadi Tower.
Tehran county borders Shemiranat county to the north, Damavand county to the east, Eslamshahr, Pakdasht, and Ray counties to the south, and Karaj and Shahriar counties to the west.
The city of Tehran is divided into 22 municipal districts, each with its own administrative centers.
Within these 22 districts, Tehran contains the following major neighborhoods :
Abbas Abad, Afsariyeh, Amir Abad, Bagh Feiz, Baharestan, Darakeh, Darband, Dardasht, Dar Abad, Darrous, Dehkadeh Olampik, Ekhtiyariyeh, Elahiyeh, Evin, Farmanieh,Gheitariye, Gholhak, Gisha, Gomrok, Hasan Abad, Jamaran, Jannat Abad, Javadiyeh, Jomhuri, Jordan, Lavizan, Narmak, Navvab, Nazi Abad, Niavaran, Park-e Shahr, Pasdaran, Punak, Ray, Sa'adat Abad, Sadeghiyeh, Seyed Khandan, Sohrevardi, Shahrara, Shahr-e ziba, Shahrak-e Gharb, Shemiran, Tajrish, Tehranpars, Vanak, Velenjak, Yaft Abad, Yusef Abad, Zafaraniyeh, etc.
For a map of the relative locations of the neighborhoods and the full list, see List of the localities around Tehran.
Tehran's old city fabric changed dramatically during the Pahlavi era. Some of the older remaining districts of Tehran are: Udlajan, Sangelaj, Bazaar, Chaleh Meydan, Doulat. Chaleh Meydan is the oldest neighborhood of the aforementioned...
About 30% of Iran’s public-sector workforce and 45% of large industrial firms are located in Tehran and almost half of these workers work for the government.[citation needed] Most of the remainder of workers are factory workers, shopkeepers, laborers, and transport workers. Few foreign companies operate in Tehran because of the Islamic government and its poor relations with the west. But before the Islamic revolution many western companies were active in this region. Today many modern industries of this city include the manufacturing of automobiles, electronics and electrical equipment, weaponry, textiles, sugar, cement, and chemical products. It is also a leading center for the sale of carpets and furniture. There is an oil refinery near Ray, south of the city. Tehran has three airports, including Mehrabad International Airport, Imam Khomeini International Airport, and Ghal'eh Morghi airfield.
Tehran relies heavily on private cars, buses, motorcycles, and taxis, and is one of the most car-dependent cities in the world. The Tehran Stock Exchange, which is a full member of the Federation Internationale des Bourses de Valeurs (FIBV) and a founding member of the Federation of Euro-Asian Stock Exchanges, was one of the world's best performing stock exchanges in recent years.[1]
The metropolis of Tehran enjoys a huge network of highways (280 km) and of interchanges’ ramps & loops (180km). In 2007 there were 130 kilometers of highways and 120 kilometers of ramps and loops under construction.[citation needed]
In 2001 a metro system that had been in planning since the 1970s opened the first two of seven envisaged lines. Work has been slow and coverage remains very limited. Development of the Tehran metro system had been interrupted by the Islamic Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War. Problems arising from the late completion of the metro led to buses taking on the role of the metro lines, serving mainly long distance routes. Taxis filled the void for local journeys. The taxis only drive on main avenues, and only within the local area, so it may be necessary to take several taxis to get to one's final destination. This has all led to extreme congestion and air pollution within the city.[citation needed]
Tehran is served by Mehrabad International Airport, the old airport which doubles as a military base located in the western part of the city, and Imam Khomeini International Airport, 50 kilometres (31 mi) south, which handles flights from the Persian Gulf but which will eventually handle all international flights. The new airport is more than overdue, but is efficient, although security concerns have made the governments of Britain and Australia warn their foreign nationals in Iran.[citation needed]
Tehran also has a central train station with connecting services round the clock to various cities in the country. There are four bus terminals that also provide connections at low fares. These are the South, East, West, and Bei-haghi Park-Drive Terminals.
While the center of the city houses the government ministries and headquarters, the commercial centers are more located toward Valiasr Street, Taleghani Ave, and Beheshti Ave further north. Although administratively separate, Rey, Shemiran, and Karaj are often considered part of the larger Tehran metropolitan area.
See also: List of Tehran metro stations, Tehran Monorail.
Tehran suffers from severe air pollution and the city is often covered by smog making breathing difficult and causing widespread pulmonary illnesses. It is estimated that about 27 people die each day from pollution-related diseases.[2] According to local officials, 3,600 people died in a single month due to the hazardous air quality.[3]
The air pollution is due to several different reasons[citation needed]: 1) Economical: most Iranian industries are located on the outskirts of Tehran. The city is also overrun with old and aging cars which do not meet today's emission regulations. Furthermore, Iran's busiest airport, Mehrabad International Airport, is located in the west of the city; 2) Infrastructure: Tehran has a poor public transportation network. Buses and metros do not cover every area of the city. Most people are then obliged to either use private cars or hire taxis. This has created severe traffic and congestion; 3) Geographical: Tehran is bound in the north by the massive Alborz mountain range that is stopping the flow of the humid Caspian wind. As a result, thermal inversion that traps Tehran's polluted air is frequently observed. The lack of humidity and clouds makes Tehran a very sunny city. The UV radiations then combined with the existing pollutants significantly raise the level of the ozone.
The government, however, is engaged in a battle to reduce the air pollution.[citation needed] It has for instance encouraged taxis and buses to convert from petrol engines to engines that run on compressed natural gas. Furthermore, since 1979 the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has setup a "Traffic Zone" (طرح ترافیک) covering the city center during peak traffic hours. Entering and driving inside this zone is only allowed with a special permit. The government is also trying to raise people's awareness about the hazards of the pollution. One method that is currently been employed is the installation of Pollution Indicator Boards all around the city to monitor the current level of particulate matter (PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and carbon monoxide (CO). The board also displays the Pollutant Standard Index (PSI), which is a general indication of air quality based on the measurements of the above-mentioned five pollutants. The Pollution Indicator Boards classify the level of each pollutants as either safe, hazardous or dangerous.
Tehran is the biggest and most important educational center of Iran. Today There are nearly 50 major colleges and universities in total in Greater Tehran.
Since the establishment of Darolfonoon in the mid 1800s, Tehran has amassed a large number of institutions of higher education. Some of these institutions have played crucial roles in the unfolding of Iranian political events. The University of Tehran is the earliest state university and the largest university of Iran. Samuel M. Jordan, whom Jordan Avenue in Tehran is named after, was also one of the founding pioneers of the American College of Tehran.
Tehran also is home to Iran's largest military academy, and several religious schools and seminaries.
Tehran was the first city in the Middle East to host the Asian Games. The 7th Asian Summer Games in 1974, was held with the participation of 2,363 athletes and officials from 25 countries.
Tehran is also the site of Iran's national football stadium on Azadi Sport Complex with 100,000 seating capacity. Many of the top matches of Iran's Premier League are held here. In 2005, FIFA ordered Iran to limit spectators allowed into Azadi stadium because of a fatal crush and inadequate safety procedures. Other stadiums in Tehran are Shahid Dastgerdi Stadium, Takhti Stadium, and Shahid Shirudi Stadium, among others.
Within 10 minutes driving distance from Tehran lies a ski resort. Tochal is the world's fifth highest ski resort, at over 3,730 metres (12,240 ft) at its highest 7th station. The resort was completed in 1976 shortly before the overthrow of the Shah.
Here, one must first ride the eight kilometre (five mile) long gondola lift which covers a huge vertical. The 7th station has three slopes. The resort's longest slope is the south side U shaped slope which goes from the 7th station to 5th station. The other two slopes are located on the north side of the 7th station. Here, there are two parallel chair ski lifts that go up to 3,900 metres (12,795 ft) near Tochal's peak (at 4,000 m/13,125 ft), rising higher than the gondola 7th station. This altitude is higher than any of the European resorts.
From the Tochal peak, one has a spectacular view of the Alborz range, including the 5,671 metre (18,606 ft) high Mt. Damavand, a dormant volcano.
At the bottom of the lifts in a valley behind the Tochal peak is Tochal hotel, located at 3,500 metres (11,483 ft) altitude. From there a T lift takes skiers up the 3,800 metres (12,500 ft) of Shahneshin peak, where the third slope of Tochal is.
Tochal 7th station has skiing eight months of the year. But there are also some glaciers and year-round snow fields near Tehran where skiing began in 1938, thanks to the efforts of two German railway engineers. Today, 12 ski resorts operate in Iran, but the most famous are Tochal, Dizin, and Shemshak, all within one to three hours of Tehran.
In Football (soccer), Tehran is host to six football clubs in Iran's Premier Football League, namely:
These clubs have on numerous occasions won Asian titles, and some of their players are known internationally. The prominent matches are usually held at Azadi Stadium.
The Peacock Throne of the Persian Shahs can be found in Tehran's Golestan Palace. Some of the important museums are National Museum of Iran, Sa'dabad Palaces Complex, Glassware and Ceramics Museum of Iran, The Carpet Museum of Iran, Tehran's Underglass painting Museum, and Niavaran Palace Complex. The Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art features the works of great artists such as Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol. The collection of these paintings was selected by the former Empress Farrah Diba.[citation needed]
Tehran, as Iran's showcase and historical capital city, has a wealth of cultural attractions, some of which are listed below.
