Tehran is the capital city of Iran. It has a
unique fascinating character. It lies about 1200 meters
above sea level at the southern foothills of the
Alborz mountain range. The towering peaks of Alborz are
bare and foggy in the summer and heavily covered with
snow in the winter.
Tehran's climate is dry. Spring and autumn are cool
and pleasant with occasional showers. In the summer it
can be very hot.
Tehran is not an old city; it celebrated its 200th anniversary
recently in 1992. In the early 1920's, Tehran was still
a sleepy town. Today it is a busy metropolis with some
twelve million inhabitants, or about one-fifth of Iran's
population.
At the time of the
first Qajar kings, Tehran became the
country capital. Later, at the time
of Nassereddin shah, the city's urban
development plan was prepared. With the
fall of the Qajar dynasty, Tehran soon
took the shape of a modern city and the
construction of new government buildings,
streets, recreation centers and
universities began. The old gates and
buildings were replaced by modern
architecture such as shops, cinemas,
hotels, residences, and a magnificent new
opera house that rivals those in Europe.
The Bazaar is a unique place to visit,
particularly for those who have never seen
a Middle Eastern market.
In the past century, the trades have been exclusively
centered in the Bazaar, in accordance with Islamic tradition.
All kinds of commodities are available for sale at a bargain
prices. Do not forget to bargain! Carpets, gold jewelry,
silver and copperware can be bought in the Bazaar.
The archeological museum is another center
of interest. It contains articles dating
back to 1500 BC (Sumerian period) and a
very fine collection of Islamic Art. The
building itself has an impressive arched
entrance in the Parthian style.
The Golestan Palace ,
built in the 19th century as a rulers
of the Qajar sovereign, is now very like a
museum.
Next to Golestan Palace is the Masjid-e-Imam
and the Masjid-e-Jomeh (Friday Mosque)
which are examples of the Islamic
architecture of the Qajar period.
The treasures of Iran are housed in the Central Bank.
The worlds most exotic display of diamonds, rubies, emeralds,
and massive gold gems are exhibited in a vault of the
Central Bank ( Bank Markazi). Darya-e-Noor, or the ocean
of lights, which is the world's largest diamond, and the
imperial state crown, are also included in the collection
in the Central Bank.
