Tehran

Tehran (also spelled Teheran) (تهران or طهران in Persian), population 11,050,000 (metropolitan: 15,000,000), is the capital of Iran. More than half of the country's industry is based there. Industries include manufacturing cars, electronic and electrical equipment, weaponry, textiles, sugar, cement, and chemical products. It is also a leading center for the sale of carpets. There is an oil refinery nearby. Tehran has two international airports and a few military airports.

History

It seems that Tehran has existed as a village since the 9th century, but wasn't well-known because of the flourishing Rages nearby in the pre-Mongol era. In the 13th century, following the destruction of the city of Rages by Mongols, many of its inhabitants fled to Tehran. In some sources of the Mongol era the city is mentioned as "Rages's Tehran" (طهرانِ ری). The city is later mentioned in Hamdollah Mostowfi's Nezhat ol-Gholoob (written in 1340) as a famous village.

Tehran became a residence of the Safavid rulers in the 17th century by Tahmasp I who built a baazar for it, and a wall around the city, but was later abandoned a little because Abbas I started to hate the city deeply, after he turned sick when he was passing the city to go to a war with Uzbeks.

In the early 18th century, Karim Khan Zand ordered a palace, a harem, and a governmental office to be built in Tehran, possibly to declare the city his capital, but later moved his government to Shiraz. Tehran finally became the capital of Persia in 1795, when the Qajar king Agha Mohammad Khan was crowned in the city. It remains the capital to this day.

During World War II, British and Soviet troops entered the city. Tehran was the site of the Teheran Conference in 1943, attended by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Premier Joseph Stalin.

Attractions and facilities

The Peacock Throne of the Persian Shahs can be found in Tehran's Gulistan Palace. Some of the important museums are National Museum of Iran, Sa'dabad Palaces Complex, Glassware and Ceramics Museum of Iran, Tehran's Carpet Museum, Tehran's Underglass painting Museum etc. The Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art is also appealing to many because it features thee works of great artists such as Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol which have become almost unknown to the rest of the world over the past decades.

Tehran is also a city of parks and possesses more than 800 well-kept parks. Tehran is the site of the most important universities in Iran, and most specifically Sharif University of Technology, University of Tehran, and Amirkabir University of Technology. It also contains a college of fine arts, a military academy, and several religious schools. Tehran is also home to the Tehran Stock Exchange which is a full member of the FIBV and a founding member of the Federation of Euro-Asian Stock Exchanges.

Among unusual attractions in Tehran (especially for tourists) are its many electronic stores and the buildings encompassing them where unlicensed copies of CDs are sold at very low prices.

Transportation

In 2001 a metro system that had been in planning since the 1970s opened the first two of seven envisaged lines. The metro system's development had been interrupted by the Islamic Revolution and the war with 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 localised routes, not carrying passengers to their final destinations but operating routes along main routes and arteries. This has all led to extreme congestion and air pollution within the city. The rate of traffic casualties is enormous.

Tehran is served by 2 airports, Mehrabad International Airport, the old airport located in the western part of the city, and Imam Khomeini International Airport, outside the city and to the south, which was scheduled to be operational in 2004.

Sports

Tehran was the first city in Middle East to host Asian Summer Games. The 7th Asian Summer Games in 1974, was held with participation of 2363 athletes and officials from 25 countries.

Tehran is host to six Premier Iranian Football clubs Saba Battery, SAIPA, Peykan FC, Paas, Esteghlal and Pirouzi/Persepolis. It is also the site of Iran's national football stadium Azadi Stadium ("Liberty Stadium").

External links

• Tehran Municipality's web site (in Persian) (http://www.cityoftehran.com/)
• Farsinet's information on the history of Tehran (http://www.farsinet.com/tehran/history.html)
• Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art (http://www.ir-tmca.com/)
• WikiTravel - Travel guide to Tehran (English) (http://www.wikitravel.org/en/article/Tehran)

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