Most crowded and capital of Iran, the center of Tehran province and Tehran county. By having a population of 13 million people, it is the 24th crowded city in the world and the most crowded city in the west of Asia. Metropolis Tehran is also the second crowded city in the Middle East. From the natural roughness point of view, Tehran divides into two areas: plain and Alborz submontane. It is currently stretched and ranged from the height of 900 to 1800 meters from the sea level. The climate is semi-dry. In most of the years, winter provides half of total yearly rainfall and summer has the least rainfall of the year in Tehran.

Tehran is a city with a variety of ethnic races but its foreign population is low. As the biggest Persian (Farsi) language city in the world, Persians form most of Tehran folks and most people of the city are officially Muslim and Shiite of twelve Imam. Tehran owns a long background and archaeologists believe that living in this area refers back to the Neolithic era. In 1393 (2014), a human skeleton was found in Molavy district, belonging to 7000 years ago; also in 1394 (2015), another skeleton along with stone tools was found around that area.

In some Parsig scripts, Rey is introduced as the Zoroaster birthplace. Moreover, in the battle between Dariush III and Alexander the Macedonian, Alexander and his army rested in this place for some days. In historical writings, Tehran is mentioned as a place with a good climate and full of fruit gardens. In the early seventh century, because of Mongolian several attacks on Rey and some disasters like earthquakes, Rey which was one of the well-known cities of that time, had ruined. Many of its people got slain and some departed to other places; Tehran was a place that had become the shelter of Rey people. This, along with the transfer of knowledge and construction, trade and civilization of Rey people to Tehran, started a new chapter of development in Tehran.

Local food: Tehran city as one of the oldest areas of Iran has a lot of local dishes; including Sar-Gonjeshki, Dami Balghour-e-jo, spinach Eshkeneh, Aash Shole-Ghalamka and Vaalak-Polo.

Handicrafts: Because of the old history of Tehran, it is well-known for many years in leather, glass making, and stone shape substances and many handicrafts are made in these categories.

Consulates:

Tehran as the capital has a group of foreign consulates.

Sighting attractions of Tehran

Sa’dabad Palace

Cultural and historical Sa’d Abad complex is called to a collection of mansions and palaces which are constructed in Darband, the most northern district of Tehran with a pleasant climate in a field at length of 110 hectares. This complex has 180 hectares of natural forests, springs, flumes, gardens, greenhouses, and streets. This mansion is in the neighborhood with Alborz Mountains in the north, Golab-Darreh in the east, Velendjak in the west and Tajrish in the south. Djafar-Abad river passes through the middle of the palace lot. The average annual temperature in this area is measured at 12.9 Celsius degrees and is located 1650 to 1800 meters above the sea level. At the first Pahlavi era, entire Sa’dabad palace was fueled by Darband River but at the second Pahlavi era because of granting the river’s water 12 hours a day to ordinary people and insufficiency of this amount to irrigate the whole complex, twelve sequences of old and new dug flumes was utilized.

Sa’dabad complex has spent four eras, Qadjarieh, first Pahlavi, second Pahlavi, and after Iran’s revolution. Sa’dabad constructed in the Qajar era and was the summer habitation (Yeylagh) of the kings of that dynasty. After the coup of 1299 and occupying it by Akbari clan, many buildings and mansions constructed in it which is more than 18 palaces in different sizes. Each building was a habitation place of Pahlavi dynasty members. Mohammad Reza Pahlavi at 1350s was habited there and it was newly built at his early dominion. The newest palace of the complex is Leyla Pahlavi’s palace which had belonged to the youngest daughter of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

After the victory of the revolution in 1357, this complex turned to a museum but the current president’s palace is next to it. The Queen Mother palace, which belongs to the government’s organization, is used to serve the foreign guests.

Milad Tower

Milad tower is the name of a multi-tasking transmission tower which is located in the northeast of Iran’s capital. This tower by the height of 365m, is the highest in Iran, the sixth-highest transmission tower in the world, and the nineteenth highest construction in the world. This tower with the infrastructure of 13 thousand (square) meters from the vastness of using perspective is the highest among all transmission towers in the world. Because of the high height and different appearance, Milad tower is almost visible from every place in the city, thus it is considered as one of the symbols of Iran’s capital.

From the accessibility and transportation aspects, Milad tower has exceptional and desirable circumstances. This complex is in the middle of the cross-road of the main highway of Tehran; Hemmat, Chamran, Hakim, and Sheykh-Fazlollah-Noori highway. It also has 7 subway lines.

Azadi Tower

Azadi tower which was known as Shahyad tower before the revolution in 1357, is the main symbol of the city and people in almost everywhere in the world know the city by it. It was built in 1349 (Persian Calendar) by Hossein Amant, an Iranian architect. Azadi tower was designed and constructed as the symbol of “modern Iran” and as a memorial and celebration for 2500 years of kings of Iran in the middle of one of the main squares of the west of Tehran called as Shahyad, present Azadi.

The architecture of the tower is a perception of Hakhamaneshi, Sasani, and Islamic architecture. In the lot beneath the tower, there are several amphitheaters, galleries, libraries, and museums. This construction includes four stories, four elevators, two stairways, and 286 stairs. The length of this building is 63m, its height from the floor 45 and the floor of the museum is 5m. The rumors say that in making this building 46 thousand carved and processed stones are used.

The internal designing of the tower is a mixture of traditional and modern art especially the ceiling of the second story. At the entrance of the tower, each stone base of the doors weighs about 3.5 tons from granite. The tower has 2 elevators that lift from the sidewalls of it. The first elevator crosses from 2 stories and reaches the cement roof then the second elevator gets used. None of the roofs are closed and all of them lead to the upper space.

The Water and Fire Park

The Water and Fire Park is one of the biggest and most popular parks of the capital which is located in the series of Abbas-Abad fields and the heart of the city. Initially, this park was the only garden of this complex but gradually other parks and gardens spout out in the district that made The Water and Fire Park the most variable and attractive garden of Tehran.

These sections and gardens include the parks that we will introduce to you. Hazrat-e-Ibrahim garden which everybody knows it as The Water and Fire consists of fire towers, waterspouts, and amphitheaters. After that, there is a garden called Banader which consists of amphitheaters to Silk Bridge and Gonbad-e-Mina. It also contains lighthouse, food courts of wooden path and island. The Pole-Tabi’at (Nature Bridge) is located on the east side of the Banader garden. After passing from this garden we will arrive at the sky view of Gonbad-e-Mina and 7-dimensional cinema game in solar system garden. We will go on and eventually the Norooz garden would be ahead of us. Flower market, artificial Caspian Sea and celebrities’ squire are parts of Norooz garden. Although these days in green space and municipal divisions, all these are recorded by their own names, almost all the people of Tehran identify this grand complex as The Water and Fire Park.

Darband

Darband is one of the best places for hiking, gathering or friendly dates, viewing beautiful sights and also eating delicious meals that are available everywhere in it. This entertainment district with the height of 1700m above the sea level is the primary path to ascend to the high hills of Alborz Mountain and each year many people by crossing from this beautiful and attractive way, reach the summit of Tochal or other high summits. In most of the variable polling, the people of Tehran suggest this place as the first place to visit to their foreign guests.

 

One of the exciting entertainments which were made around 40 years ago in the entertaining district of Darband in Tadjrish, is “Tele Sizh” and tourists can use it to go to the heights of Darband. This is how Tele Sizh is made: in advance, people of the Pas-Qaleh village and hikers at foothills of north of Tehran needed something to use to commute to the village and to go through the mountain paths but after a while, it turned into an entertainment facility for the tourists and passengers used it to go up the hills and at the meanwhile, they enjoyed the glorious view of the mountain. It is from Saturday to Wednesday from 09:00 till 12:00 and Thursdays and Fridays along with holidays from 06:00 till 12:00.

Golestan Palace

Golestan Palace is a collection of valuable constructions and it is the oldest historical palace in Tehran that has made and evolved in different periods. This complex from the architecture, tourist attraction, and the value of artistic and historic works in it, is one of the most important constructions and palaces of the country which is visited by a lot of foreign and inside the country tourists whole the year.

Building it started from the first king of the Abbasi dynasty and was changing and evolving until the period of Nasereddin Shah Qajar, who was under the impact of his European trips. This building has seen important events from the historical aspect such as the Mashrouteh revolution and the coronation of the first and second Pahlavis. Moreover, beautiful artistic works like Takhte-Marmat (marble bed), Nasereddin Shah Qadjar’s gravestone which was moved to here and works of Kamal-al-Molk and other Iranian and foreign artists are there in this palace. Beautiful constructions like Shams-al-Emareh, Talar Ayeneh, and Emarat-e-Badgir is also very under the attention of tourists.

Tabi’at Bridge

Tabi’at (Nature) Bridge is one of the centers of tourist receivers in Tehran. It has been very under the attention in recent years and is turned into one of the city symbols in recent years. The most wonderful fact about the Tabi’at Bridge of Tehran is that although it is located among some main highways of the city and it is made exactly in the center of the traffic, it brings a feeling of being in nature and breathing it.

Tabi’at Bridge is surrounded by 4 main highways of the city; Haghani, Hemmat, Modarres, and Resalat. This bridge is built above the Modarres highway and connects the Talghani Park to The Water and Fire Park. Tabi’at Bridge is the biggest non-automobile bridge in Iran. It is 7000 square meters and 2000 tons. This bridge is designed by Leyla Iraqian with the cooperation of Ali Behzadian (the members of fabric constructions of Diba). Leyla Iraqian was only 26 when she designed it. Tabi’at Bridge is the label of a three-story bridge in the district of Abbasabaad in Tehran which is located on the width of the Modarres highway and is only belonged to the walking passengers. This bridge has provided a connection between Talghani and The Water and Fire and links them together.