Dizin
Skiing has become immensely popular in Iran. The first ski-lifts seen in Iran were installed after World War II at Ab-i-Ali, about 40 miles by road east of Tehran, which is still a popular ski resort despite the counter attractions of the longer and steeper slopes at Dizin and Shemshak, the latter about 35 miles north of the capital.
The skiing season usually lasts from December until March or April.
Darvazeh Bagh e Melli
This imposing brick gateway, decorated with high Haft Rangi tiles, was built in 1922 by command of Reza Khan when he was minister of War.
It faces what it used to be the Ministry of War, an old Qajar building a few hundred yards to the north; the space between was for many years a big military parade ground, the Maidan-i-Mashq, but has now been built over.
On the right through the gateway are the large police headquarters, built in neo-Achaemenian style during Reza Shah’s reign; on the left a museum completed in 1967, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Apart from numerous faience inscriptions, the tiling on both sides of the gateway illustrates military subjects such as machine guns and soldiers. The main faience inscription over the central arch, which is crowned by a chamber where military music was played, is an Arabic and records well-known words of the Prophet Muhammad as quoted by the Imam Reza.
Another inscription states that the gateways wrought-iron work was made in the Tehran arsenal.
Divan Khaneh
Karim Khan Zand intended making Tehran his capital. In the year A.D. 1758, he ordered the erection of a number of buildings within the Arg, including a Haram-Khaneh and Khalvat-Khaneh. In A.D. 1759 he ordered the building of a private palace and a Divan Khaneh within the confines of the Arg.
The style was to be Safavid. This was achieved, but unfortunately, because of the alterations made in later periods, we have little knowledge. What is obvious is that the building known as the Khalvat Khaneh is one of these buildings, though greatly altered. Another indication is a drawing by Flandin, of one of the rooms of Karim Khan`s Divan Khaneh. The building was still standing in A.D. 1848.
Golestan Palaces
During the reign of the Safavid Shah Abbas I, a vast garden called Chahar-Bagh (Four Gardens), a governmental residence and a Chenaristan (a grove of plane trees), had been created on the present site of the Golestan Palace and its surroundings.
Then, Karim Khan Zand (1163-1193 = 1749-1779 A.D.) ordered the construction of a citadel, a rampart and a number of towers in the same area.
In the Qajar period, some royal buildings were gradually erected within the citadel; for instance, in 1268 A.H. (1813 A.D.) which coincided with the fifth year of the Nasir al-Din Shah, the eastern part of the royal garden was extended and some other palaces were built around the garden, called palaces the Golestan Garden. The group of palaces located in the northern part of the Golestan Garden, consists of the Museum Hall (Talar-i-Brilian), the Ivory Hall, the Crystal Hall, and the Talar-i Narinjistan , which have all been built prior to the construction of the other parts of the palace.
The Museum Hall has been built in 1296 A.H. (1878 A.D.).
In the upper section of the Royal Reception Hall of the Golestan Palace, there is a large bejewelled golden throne, called Takht-i- Tavus (The Peacock Throne), which must be the same as the Solar Throne (Takht-i Khorshidi).
The Qajar`s royal residence, the oldest substantial building in the city, and one of a group of royal buildings then enclosed within mud walls known as the Arg, the Golestan Palace (Rose Garden), too, was completed by Fath Ali Shah Qajar. However, its construction is attributed to the Safavid Shah Abbas I.
Nasser ad-Din shah, influenced by what he had seen during his first European tour in 1873, added a Museum in the from of a large, first-floor hall decorated with mirror work, where some of the priceless Crown jewels were put on show side by side with many other things of much less value, mainly acquired by the King during his European tour.
The coronation ceremonies of the last two kings of the Pahlavi dynasty took place in the first-floor hall, however, after a re-arrangement, complete renovation and redecoration of the interior with the intention of reviving the palace`s ancient splendor.
The last King used to hold New Year and Birthday Salams in the Coronation Hall, where Ministers, foreign Ambassadors and other dignitaries in full dress offered their congratulations to the King of Kings. But generally, the Golestan Place is open to strollers and tourists.
The Palace garden offered an oasis of coolness and silence in the heart of the city, Shade is provided by what the inhabitants of Tehran call (the finest plane tree in town), rose bushes, blue fountain-bowls and ancient of water recall the charm of ancient Iranian gardens.
Altogether, here you will see little more of the palace than the visitor hoping for a tour around Buckingham Palace who is fobbed off with the Royal Gallery.
But while the state-rooms of the Palace may appeal to some others will turn to the Palace Library for the discovery of Iranian paintings, which owes its relative lack of popularity to the inaccessibility of originals scattered from Cleveland to Istanbul, from Washington’s Freer Gallery to ST Petersburg, and from the British Museum to Cairo’s National Library.
Address: 15th Khordad Square. Tel: 3113335-6
Imam Mosque
Imam Mosque or Masjid-i Sultani dates from the reign of Fath Ali Shah Qajar and counts among the great and famous mosques of Tehran.
Its construction was completed in A.H. 1240 (A.D. 1824). The name of Fath Ali Shah is carved in Nasta`liq script upon the front of the big ivan which faces Qibla (Mecca).
The name of Nasir al-Din Shah Qajar, by whose order some repairs have been carried out in the mosque, can also be seen upon the portal of the northern facade.
Two minarets which rise above the portal of the Imam Mosque, belong to the reign of Nasir al-Din Shah.
As regards the spaciousness of the courtyard, beautiful prayer halls, the huge tile-decorated cupola, false arches chambers and portal, this mosque is highly interesting and magnificent and possess wonderful specimen of the tile-work.
The structure of the main cupola has been changed into the shape of a wishbone in consequence of recent reparations. In the larger hall, there exists a tile inscription frieze which contains an ode composed by the famous poet Mejmar in praise of this huge edifice.
The mosque also bears another inscription which contain an ode composed by Fath Ali Khan Saba, entitled Malik al-Sho`ara (poet laureate), in praise of the mosque.
There is another verse inscription by the same poet, Saba, in Nasta`liq calligraphy, set on mosaic tiles, which can be seen upon the western portal of the mosque under the plaster stalactite works.
At the time of construction of this mosque in Tehran, a number of other mosques, in the same architectural style as the Imam Mosque, were built in some other cities such as Semnan, Kazerun, Borujerd and Kashan, each being called either the Imam Mosque or the Sultani Mosque. In construction of the said mosques, the architectural style of the Masjid-i-Vakil in Shiraz has been followed. Imam Mosque (historically known as Masjed-e-Shah or the Royal Mosque), the construction of which began by Fath Ali Shah Qajar in about 1809 in line with his efforts to embellish the newly founded capital, was completed in 1849, it stands at the northern entrance to the bazaar not far from the Golestan Palace. Two side entrances of the mosque lead directly into the bazaar. The southern Ivan opens onto the prayer hall. The mosque has the usual four Ivan’s, on each of the four sides of a single-story arcaded court, decorated with early 19th-century haft rangui tiles. The turquoise and white dome of the sanctuary chamber beyond the south Ivan is crowned by a small gilded cupola seen here peeping over the Ivan. At the pool in the centre of the court-a feature of nearly all mosques-the faithful perform their ritual ablutions before each prayer.
Imamzadeh Saleh
The reputable and holy mausoleum of Imamzadeh Saleh, which is located in the Bazaar of Tajrish, consists of a courtyard, several family tomb chambers, an Ivan, a portico, a mosque, a sepulchre, a tomb and a cupola.
The present mausoleum dates from the Qajar period.
However, an old plane-tree, planted in the courtyard, and numerous old tombstones remaining inside the Haram and in the courtyard, bear evidence that period to the construction of the present building, there had existed the main structure of (Astaneh) which must have belonged to the 7th and 8th centuries A.H. (13th and 14centuries A.D.) and which has gradually turned into its present state in consequence of frequent repairs and alterations.
Above the door of the portico which leads into the Harem (sanctuary), there can be seen some sentences and words in plaster relief and in azure Nasta`liq script on a white background giving the names of Fath Ali Shah and prince Hulaku Khan.
The interior of the Harem is decorated with beautiful paintings belonging to the Qajar period. This mausoleum possesses two sepulchres; the bigger one, the eastern, northern and western sides of which are covered with silver-lattice tomb-cage and the southern side with a wooden lattice cage, is remarkable as regards its silver works.
The other sepulchre is wooden and possesses square panels.
The founder of the silver-plated sculptor is known as the late Mirza Sa`id Khan, a foreign minister of the Qajar period. Above the northern portal of the courtyard the following two distiches in praise of the Imamzadeh, carved in white Nasta`liq script on a background of azure enamelled tiles, can be seen.
The present structure of Imamzadeh Saleh counts among the outstanding monuments of the Qajar period, and the 13th century A.H. (19th century A.D.), as regards the proportionate interior arches of the Harem and the constructional style.
Imamzadeh Sayyed Ismail
The old mausoleum of Imamzadeh Sayyed Isma`il consists of a courtyard, two high minarets, a portico, a sepulchre, and a simple mosque.
Inside the portal of the mausoleum in the Ivan, there is a white inscription in Nasta`liq script set on a background of azure mud-bricks. The contents of this inscription indicates that the Ivans and the two high minarets decorated with tilework, have been constructed through the efforts of Issa Khan Bayglar Baygi in the reign of Muhammad Shah Qajar in A.H. 1262 (A.D. 1845).
In the Ivan, there are a band of muqarnas works in plaster mud-brick tablets in relief.
The Ivan leads into a portico with a couple of two-story side rooms which are decorated with muqarnas works and plaster mouldings. Inside the mausoleum, above the tomb and in the space separating the tomb and the mosque, there is an old door with relief designs and historical inscriptions carved upon it.
This door of historical interest, apart from its superb engravings, has also distinction of bearing the earliest date among the monuments of the present Tehran.
The door bears the following inscription, part of which is in Nasta`liq and the rest in Thulth script, and which is indicative of the reparations having been carried out in the reign of Muhammad Shah Qajar.
The inscription also gives the date of construction and the name of benefactor, as well as that of the carpenter.
Apart from the above-mentioned historical inscriptions, there are others carved upon the door. Thus, it can be said that part of the mausoleum of Imamzadeh Isma`il dates from the 9th century A.H. (15th century A.D.), which is the date of the construction of the main structure, the other section belonging to the 13th century A.H. (19th century A.D.), or the Qajar period.
Motahari Mosque
Historically known as the Masjed-e Sepah Salar (Mosque of the Commander-in- Chief), and serving both as a mosque and a theological collage, the Motahari Mosque with its eight minarets set close to each other is the largest and most important mosque in Tehran (3,700 square meters in area).
Architecturally speaking, it includes elements from the Imam Mosque of Esfahan (Former Masjed-e shah).
The style of Haghia Sophia Mosque in Istanbul and the façade execution style of Chahhar Bagh Madraseh in Esfahan. Its minarets are not very nigh, nor very slim, but are capped by small-pillared turrets.
Yellow and blue are the dominant colours of the ceramics, which cover them from top to bottom. Their beauty springs from the way they are grouped together. They are overlooked by a fairly flat-shaped cupola nearby.
The mosque’s varnished brickwork forms a simple interlaced design in delicate shades: light blue, ochre yellow, as well as an exceptional white.
The entrance door is also covered with coloured motifs in an overloaded style.
The decoration of the minarets on both sides of the door is noteworthy. It is an intricate composition rather like a wallpaper design of the beginning of the century, with streamers and bouquets surrounding shields bearing minutely portrayed landscape and country scenes.
Actually there are few religious buildings of great importance in Tehran, but visitors not travelling outside the capital, should on no account miss visiting at least one mosque, so this recent one is at least worth mentioning.
Funds for its construction were provided by the enormously rich Mirza Hossein Khan, who had been in turn Nasser od-din Shah`s Grand Vizier, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Commander-in-Chief (Sepah Salar).
Built on the traditional four-Ivan plan round a large, arcaded court, the mosque was not completed until 1890.
Its large prayer hall has 44 columns, and the top of one of its minarets was once one of the vantage points to see the new Tehran and the Alborz Mountains.
The southwest van leads into the spacious domed sanctuary chamber which has been re-tiled in and outside, during recent decades and now provides an excellent example of contemporary Iranian tile work, both haft rangui and mosaic. The northeast Ivan opposite is surmounted by a tiled clock tower and flanked by a pair of small minarets.
The scrupulous restoration carried out recently shows that modern craftsmen are as skilful as their ancestors were. The Mosque’s library houses over 5,000 manuscripts, some of which are unique.
At present students of theological sciences carry on with their courses here.
Address: Southern end of eastern side of Baharestan Square, downtown Tehran.
Niavaran Palaces
The compound of Niavaran palaces in Tehran was formerly the residence of the Qajar kings and at present the Saheb Gharanieh palace and Ahmad Shah palace remain from that period.
It was during the reign of Pahlavi dynasty when this collection was extended and some palaces including the main Niavaran and royal school were annexed to it. The building of Niavaran palace, with an area of some two thousand square meters, started in the centre of a garden in 1948 and was completed in 1967.
Mohsen Forughi and Abbas Dehghani were the major designers and architects of the monument. This building turned into a museum after the victory of the Islamic revolution.
Sad Abaad Palaces
Known as the Saad Abad Cultural Complex, and bounded by Velenjak to the north and Kolak-Chal to the east, it occupies an area of 410 hectares. Actually, it is the greatest cultural complex in modern Tehran consisting of seven palace-museums (out of 18, turned into public museums after the revolution), not all open at the same time.
However, they are clearly marked and signposted in English.
With an area of some 410 hectares Saad Abad reaches Velenjak in the north, Tajrish square in the south, Darband region in the east, and the skirts of Kolak Chal heights in the west. During the Qajar era, Saad Abad was composed of seven districts. During the Pahlavi era some regions were annexed to it and in this manner the Saad Abad palace was extended. Saad Abad consists of 18 palaces, which were resided by the former Shah of Iran and his relatives. Following the revolution however seven palaces in Saad Abad were turned into museums and palace - museums open to public.
These palaces included the White Palace (Nation Museum), Mother’s Palace (Museum of Reminiscence and Warning), Shahram (Museum of Military Implements), Shahnaz (Saad Abad Natural History Museum), Ministry of Court (Museum of Fine Arts), Shahvand Palace (Green Museum) and Shams Palace (Museum of Anthropological Research)
Serkis Church
Construction of this splendid church began in 1964 and finished in 1970.
Serkis Church is located at Karim Khan Zand Boulevard.
Shah Abdol Azim Holy Shrine
The holy shrine of Hazrat-i-Abdul Azim (Zaviyeh Muqaddaseh) is in the city of Rayy. Hazrat-i-Abdol Azim is a descendant of Imam Hassan, and was martyred in the 9th century, in Rayy, and buried in this place.
The mausoleum of Imamzadeh Hamzeh, Imam Reza’s brother, and that of Imamzadeh Tahir, son of Hazrat-i-Sajad, are adjacent to this holy shrine.
The whole construction consists of a portal; a lofty Ivan decorated with mirrors, several courtyards, a golden cupola, two tile minarets, a portico, a sepulchre and a mosque.
The most historical and portable relic of this holy place, is its costly box which is made of betel-nut wood. On four sides of this precious box, a relief inscription in Nastaliq and Tulth characters is carved.
The inscription ends with the date A.D. 1330, and the name of the maker of the box, i.e., Yahya ibn Muhammad al-Isfahani.
An inlaid door near the mausoleum of Nasser al-Din Shah, (This place used to be called Masjid-i-Holaku, prior to its being turned into a tomb) which bears the date A.D. 1450, i.e., the period of Shah-rokh Bahadur Timurid`s reign, constitutes another historical relic of this structure.
Two antique iron doors which are engraved with Kufic inscriptions are to be found in the treasure-house of the (Astaneh), which seem to be the oldest remains of this structure and to belong to the Seljukid period. But, at present, these two doors and the concluding part of their inscriptions bear the date A.D. 1538. Further, there is an inlaid door which had formerly been installed in the northern part of the Ivan of Hazrat-i-Imamzadeh Hamzeh.
This door has an inscription in Tulth calligraphy, dated A.D. 1512. The cupola of this structure has been built upon the order of Majd al-Mulk radestani Qomi, and later on has been plated with gold.
The Ivan, portico and portal of the building date from the reign of Shah Tahmasb, the Safavid king.
The silver-plated sepulchre has been made and installed by the order of Fath Ali Shah Qajar.
The mirror-work, paintings and gildings of the structure belong to the 19th century.
Reparations are still being carried out in this complex of holy structures. Adjoining this holy tomb, there are some other tombs belonging to the Qajar monarchs, and the Ulamahs (religious scholars) and other personalities.
Shamsolemareh Palace
The Shams ol-Emareh which is one of the first high-rise buildings of old Tehran, Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar ordered Doostali Khan Nezam ol-Dowleh (Moayer al-Mamalek) to build it.
He chooses a site to the east of the Arg and finished the building in 1867 A.D.
The building which was well planned and adorned with various decorations such as stucco, Ayaneh Karie, tile and murals is one of the most beautiful of Tehran’s historical buildings.
Moayer al-Mamalek not only built it with his own money, but bought also the carpets and furnishings and presented a complete building to Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar.
This palace is located in the eastern section of Golestan palace and belongs to the era of Nassereddin Shah. The king was inspired in one of his visits abroad, by the multi - storey buildings he observed there. The building was constructed by Doost Ali Khan Moayerrol Mamalek in 1865 - 1867. The structure of the building is strong and the symmetries have been formed beautifully. The building is brick made with thick walls. In some cases the thickness of the basement walls exceeds 600 centimetres and the thickness of the ground floor walls stands in the range of 510, 150 and 120 centimetres.
Shamsol Emareh has been the tallest royal building with three stories and two towers on the top. This building used to serve as a place for official receptions and also the private harem of Nassereddin Shah. In his book entitled Meraat - ol - Boldan, Etemad - ol - Saltaneh describes its halls and chambers all equipped with high quality and premium curtains, chandeliers and posters.
Sheikh Abdol Hussein Mosque
The Madrasa and the Mosque are among the structure dating from the reign of Nasir al_din Shah Qajar.
The only remaining part of the old building of the mosque, in its original state, is its enamelled brick inscription, which is to be found on the portal. As a result of fundamental repairs made in the mosque and in its prayer hall, the, monument has taken a new appearance bearing n The mausoleum of Shaykh Abdol Hussein built at the time of the construction of its adjoining mosque, has, to a large extent, retained its original style.
It is a four-Ivan structure and consists of a portal, a vestibule, a courtyard, several two-store inside its courtyard which is thick with trees, and in the upper Ivan’s there remain five bands of plaster stalactites, remarkable in their kind.
Also, the mosaic tile works in some of the corner pieces of the inner false arches, which that from the time the portal of the Madrasa and its side-rooms are ancient and are decorated with plaster stalactites and mosaic tiles.
The wooden door of the Madrasa, which bears relief engravings and an inscription in Nasta`liq script, counts among the fine specimens.
Tehran Bazaar
Tehran is the greatest of the Iranian markets. Squat and once black in the heart of the city, like a covered railway station, stand the bazaars in the southern part of Tehran.
These bazaars deserve a half-day stroll. Down there you may still smell the spices and the sheepskins, and hear the rich trump of unrolling carpets, unpeeled from the stack like pages of a manuscript. All the faces of Persia may be seen in those arcades:
Semite or Mongol, fair or swarthy, swathed in fringed turbans or clamped upon by dowdy trilbies.
It is an imperial sort of palace: Darius would have liked it.
As well as being one of the biggest of all eastern bazaars, that of Tehran is also among the newest. The bazaar was a city within the city. For many years, it was the focal point of the town.
Everything happened there, not only trading, but also social relations, marriage and politics.
It is to be regretted that the bazaar is gradually being abandoned by the more prosperous merchants, who have moved to the northern avenues of the new city, built after the bazaar.
Bazaar never closes, expect for religious festivals, but it is seen at its most bustling at midday, or between 5 and 7 in the evening. Haggle furiously here for anything you like:
Carpets, tribal jewellery, leather, silks, copper, gold.
Two warning: go slowly, since the paths are usually watered to prevent dust, but slippery; and keep closely to the right, well away from the centre of the passageway to avoid the heavily-laden porters who make their way at top speed through the crowd.
Your tour of the Tehran’s 10-km long covered bazaar will begin at Sabzeh Maidan (Green Square). Actually, entrance to bazaar is through several gates, closed and manned by security personnel at nights.
The first section, on the east, is devoted to luxury articles, especially watches and jewellery. Beyond these are the carpet dealers.
Turn off at right angle to the main street from time to time to enjoy the relative peace of a timcheh or depot in the from of a rectangular courtyard open to the sky, where fountains or small pools alleviate the suffocating dry heat of a Tehrani summer afternoon.
Tehran Zoo
The Tehran zoo of Tehran was in an off-street opposite the Park-e Mellat to the north of Vanak Square.
However, because of being surrounded blocks, the city authorities decided to move it to a lush green area (altogether 5 hectare in Eram Park at the beginning of Tehran-Karaj Highway (km 4). The new Zoo has been a visited by more than 2,000 visitor each day since 1992. Inside the Park, there several restaurants and children’s playing and recreational facilities. More than 150 species of herbivorous and carnivorous animals and indigenous birds are kept here.
Toghrol Tower
The most ancient monument the town, Gonabad-e Sorkh or the Red Tower of 1147-8 AD, situated in the south west of the town, was built by the order of Sad Badim, the then ruler of Azarbaijan, according to a northern front Kuffic inscription.
In the lower part of the structure, there is a crypt where a tomb can be seen. The monument is square; with its exceptionally beautiful blue tile and kiln-fired brick works and fine plaster mouldings in a geometrical design. The entrance portal is on of the northern side of the structure, where seven steps lead to the tomb chamber and the crypt. Godard remarks on its historical importance for the first known appearance of glazed ornament on the exterior of a monument in northern Iran. The Red Tower also provides the most exciting solution in Iran to the problem of the squinch. It is not, of course, proven (too many monuments have been destroyed for us to tell) but it seems likely that the squinch- a corner arch connecting two walls at right angels – may be a Sassanian invention. If so, the dome of London’s Cathedral of St Paul’s (and all other domes before or since) is a development of this principle. The concept of squinch grew from the aesthetic urge to set a circular dome on square walls, squinches supporting the dome in each of the four corners. Roman engineers never solved this problem at all. Another outstanding decorative feature of the monument is the combination of turquoise coloured and blue enamelled tiles on a brick background.
Vahdat Hall
The completion of the Vahdat Hall (Rudaki Hall) in 1967, nearly ten years in the building, filled a major gap in Tehran’s cultural life by providing a modern opera house and concert hall equipped with the very latest theatrical and electrical devices.
The hall - built under the auspices of the Ministry of Fin Arts and Culture (now Ministry of Islamic Culture and Guidance) - is named after the blind 10th century poet, Rudaki, the first great classical poet of Iran, and provides accommodation for audiences of up to 1,350. The architect was a Persian American, Dr. Eugene Aftandilian, who studied in Iran. The floodlit marble entrance foyer incorporates the traditional Talar motif. Behind, towers the mass of the main building. By contrast to the Hall’s overpowering vertical exterior, its horseshoe theatre within has the cosy, white-and-gold, red-plush air of a 19th century European opera house, complete with two tiers of boxes and gallery above
Get around
Getting around traffic-clogged, sprawling Tehran is a true test of patience. While taxis are your best bet, they are pricier here than the rest of the country. A large local bus network will also take you almost anywhere you need to go, as long you can make sense of the routes and Farsi line numbers. The true star of Tehran's transport system however, is the brand new metro.
By bus
Tehran has an expansive but confusing bus network. Tickets (IR 200) can be bought from booths beside the bus stops. Since bus numbers, route descriptions and other information is in Farsi, your best bet is to look confused enough at a bus terminal; a local will surely stop to help. Each bus line has a certain and almost invariable path but there are only people, who are regulary familiar with the lines, exactly know where bus stations exist for a certain path. You shouldn't expect a map or a guidance even in Farsi showing the bus network or bus stations. Perhaps even asking the bus driver wouldn't help you much to find your way. If you get in a bus and looking for a certain station to alight, ask one to help you. Mostly you will find many people wish to help you to find your way.
By metro
Tehran's new metro system is comprised of three lines that will whisk you quickly from one end of the city to the other without having to deal with the noise, pollution and chaos of Tehrani traffic.
There are currently three lines (rather strangely numbered 1, 2 and 5) but the two most useful are lines 1 (north to south) and 2 (east to west) which connect at the central Emam Khomeini station. All stations are double signed in English, but announcements are in Farsi only. Trains run every ten minutes (25 minutes on holidays) from around 6.30 am until 10.00 pm every day.
Tickets (IR 650) are valid for one trip (including interchanges) and can be bought from ticket booths at every station. The Tehran metro is segregated, with two women-only carriages at one end of the train. Despite this, some women choose to travel in the men's part of the train, usually accompanied by a man.
By taxi
As with the rest of the country private and shared taxis abound in Tehran, although you may find flagging down a shared taxi more difficult amid the traffic and chaos, and private taxis are more expensive than the smaller cities. If getting about by shared taxi, your best bet is to hop from square to square, drivers will be reluctant to pick you up if your shouted destination deviates too much from their route. Currently in each square you would find certain place where the private taxis are lined up in a queue and drivers call for passengers to a destination. It is mostly happenning in the time when the number of waiting taxis exceeds the number of passengers. In this case, they would wait until the car get full of passengers (mostly 2 people at front and 3 people at back, except the driver). Otherwise the people have to line up in a queue waiting for the taxies to come. This is the case during rush hours (approximately 7:00 AM to 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM). All these depend upon finding their regular station in the square. You may also ask them to alight sooner than destination wherever you like but you have to pay their total fee up to destination. To get a clue, the cost of such a ride from Azadi square to Vanak Square has recently been 3,000 Rls (300 Tomans) for each person. You can also pay double and tell the driver that you would like to sit alone at the front and he would be also happy. However this depends on how you can mean the point to the driver as you will mostly find his knowledge in English very poor. Having say that again that you would often find them excessively friendly.
Motorcycle taxis are a Tehran specialty and offer a way to weave quickly through the city's traffic-clogged streets. You'll see plenty of these drivers standing at the side of the road calling "motor" at all who pass. Keep in mind motor taxi operators are even more suicidal than the average Tehran driver, agree on a price before you take off and expect to pay slightly less than chartering a private taxi.
See
- The US Den of Espionage (Taleghani St; Metro: Taleghani) is all that remains of the US embassy in which 66 American citizens were held hostage for over a year; a major embarrassment that is believed to have cost President Carter his reelection. You'll know you've arrived when you ascend the steps from Taleghani metro station and are confronted with the words "Down with the USA" painted on its wall. The compound walls are now decorated with typically anti-US paintings depicting the evils of the "Great Satan" and you can still make out a somewhat battered national crest on the front gate. A bookshop near the metro station sells copies of shredded documents found at the embassy--outlining coup plots, CIA agent covers and other James Bondish details--that were laboriously glued back together by Tehrani students. The building was opened to visitors during March 2005 as the "US Democracy Fair", but appears to have closed again. Keep an eye out in case it re-opens.
- If you want to drool over some truly excessive wealth, take a look at the Treasury of the National Jewels (Ferdosi St, near the corner of Jomhuriyeh Eslami Ave; Metro: Saadi; look for the heavy iron gate and rife wielding guards beside the Central Bank). For the hefty IR 30,000 admission fee you'll get to see a collection of some of the most expensive jewels in the world. Highlights include the world's largest uncut ruby, the world's largest pink diamond (the Sea of Light) and a free standing golden globe made from 34 kilograms of gold and an astounding 51,366 precious stones. An informative IR 6,000 information book is available at the ticket counter.
- The National Museum of Iran has ceramics, stone figures and carvings dating all the way back to around the 5th millenium BC.
- The gigantic Mausoleum of Ayatollah Khomeini (Metro: Haram-e-Motahar) is on the southern edge of the city. The sheer size of the shrine / shopping centre is enough to make the trip worth it. Entrance to the actual mausoleum, where you can see thousands of Iranians greeve their beloved former leader, is free.
Do
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Take a ride up the Tochal telecabin (تلهکابین توچال) on the northern outskirts of the city. Tickets range from IR 10,000 to IR 50,000 depending on how far up the mountain you want the telecabin to whisk you. If you're poor and energetic, you can simply hike all the way up, or just start walking and hop on the telecabin at the next station when you get tired. If you're going to the top, you may want to bring a jacket, even in summer, at over 4,000 metres the summit is chilly. To Tochal, take the Metro line 1 to Mirdamad, then bus line 33 for 25 minutes to Tajrish Square (ask the driver to let you off at Meidan Tajrish). If you visit on a holiday when Tehranis flock to the mountain, you should be able to jump in a shared taxi to the telecabin entry gate for IR 4,000 otherwise charter one privately. From the entry gate a minibus service (IR 1,500) will take you to the base station.
- The Darband telecabin is an alternative to the one at Tochal. Taxis to Darband go from Tajrish Square.
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Wander around Tehran's massive bazaar (بازار) in the city's south (Metro: Panzdah-e-khordad). The main entrance on 15 Khordad Ave leads to a labyrinth of stalls and shops that were once the engine room of Iran's commodity markets and one of Emam Khomeini's greatest sources of conservative, pro-Revolution support. As usual shops are clustered according to the products they sell. If you're planning on heading out into remote areas, the bazaar is an ideal and cheap place to stock up on almost anything you need.
Buy
For those staying in southern Tehran, there is a cluster of private money changing offices offering reasonable rates on Ferdosi St, just south of Jomhuriyeh Eslami St. Most will change US dollars, pounds, euros and yen. Lone money changers who stand on street corners whispering "Dollar, dollar" are expert hustlers and not worth risking. Central branches of most banks are also south of these offices.
Those looking to stock up on computer software--copied, but legal thanks to Iran's refusal to sign up to the Bern Convention--can start looking at the computer bazaar on the corner of Jomhuriyeh Eslami Ave and Haafez St. Just remember that importing these CDs into any country that is a signatory to the Convention may be a criminal offence. You can also try "Computer Capital" at intersection of Vali-e-Asr and Mirdamad, a 7 storey modern complex filled with computer equipments but also latest pirated copies of every software imagineable.The prices at "bazaar reza" (at charrah-e-vali-asr) are usually less . In both these bazars you also may find individual hardware parts. You may find some famous hardware brands really cheap but you should be careful not to buy the fake ones. It is hard to distinguish the original one. Sometimes even the fake one would work quite well comparing to its cheap price!
To save even more money you can buy one of those software packages . For example you can buy "King of the Programming" with about 70,000 Rls . This is a 5 or 6 CD package of compressed programs which contains almost any well-known software you can imagine .
Eat
Budget
Some of the best of Iran's ubiquitous felafels are to be found sizzling away in stalls on 15 Khordad Ave, across the road from the bazaar. The cost greatly depends upon lots of aspects but there you should expect like 3,000-5,000 Rls(300-500 Tomans) for such a budget type meal.
You can find several around Tehran with a variety of cuisines from Thailand, India, Italy, China and Turkey.
Drink
For all you coffee-starved travellers through Iran (or the soon to be coffee-starved if Tehran is your first port of call in the country) you'll be glad to find the string of coffee shops on the south side of Jomhuriyeh Eslami Ave, a couple of hundred metres west of Ferdosi St. You can stock up on coffee beans and related paraphernalia, or even sample a cup for IR 4,000.
A few doors west of these shops is a delightful coffee shop next to Hotel Naderi. They serve coffee, tea and pastries to a mix of Tehran's intelligentsia and bohemian elite. It's a great place to sit and watch hip young guys eyeing gossiping girls while old men reminisce about the "good ol' days" under the Shah.
Sleep
Budget
Most of the budget accommodation favoured by travellers is centred in the south of the city in the region between Ferdosi Square and Emam Khomeini Square.
The ever-dependable backpacker's stalwart, Mashhad Hotel (416 Amir Kabir St; metro: Emam Khomeini) is traveller-friendly and has clean and simple dorms (IR 25,000), singles (from IR 30,000) and doubles (IR 50,000).
Mid-range
There are several mid-range hotels in the vicinity of Haft-e-Tir Square. The location is not bad, being more or less in the middle of the city. There's also a metro station there.
Bolour Hotel, 191 Gharaney St., tel. +98-21-8829881, 8823080, has friendly staff and good-valued rooms at about £25-45 for foreigners. The roof-top terrace has a nice view of the city. It is located a few blocks from Haft-e-Tir Square
Splurge
Tehran has some of Iran's finest luxury hotels, most of which are pre-embargo five star hotels that have faded a little since being taken over by local consortiums.
Laleh International Hotel (Dr Hossein Fatemi Ave) located on a corner of Park-e-Laleh is a case in point. Once the InterContinental, it's a little past its prime but still offers comfortable rooms and a wide range of travel services.
The government-owned Homa Hotel (51 Khodami St) chain is often referred to as 'the ex. Sheraton Hotel' by locals. Unfortunately it's located in the quieter northern suburbs of the city, around 1.5 km north-west of Vanak Square.
Hotel Simorgh just by the Shafagh Park,just before Tavanir,is well-maintained and recently refurbished hotel.Could be a bit expensive but has been done up by the group of Hotel Management students.
Contact
Internet
Ferdosi Coffee Net (Enghelab Ave, a few doors east of Ferdosi Square) is hard to find (look for the small sign plastered to a building) has two banks of computers for IR 8,000 an hour.
Pars Net is one of south Tehran's hottest coffee nets, dishing up reasonable speed for IR 9,000 an hour. It is on the eastern side of Ferdosi St, between Jomhuiyeh Eslami Ave and Enghelab Ave, across from the British embassy. They also provide fax and long distance phone services.
Stay safe
Tehran is still a relatively safe city to travel through, particularly considering its size. Common sense and the usual precautions against pickpockets in bazaars and crowds should ensure your visit is hassle free.
Even late at the mid-night is quite safe in most parts of the city while you will find the city still crowded. It is advisable not to take a private taxi for instance at 2:00 AM.
The fake police that target Esfahan's tourists have also found their way to Tehran in recent years. These are usually uniformed men in unmarked cars flashing phoney IDs are requesting to see you passport or search your luggage. It goes without saying that you should just ignore such requests and head to the nearest police station if you feel unsafe. The trouble is that it can be very hard for the untrained tourist eye to tell these from the real police.