Tehran

Tehran is a business center and the largest city of Iran which is home to Great museums, Palaces, mountains with excellent ski resorts (Tochal, Dizin, and Shemshak), parks, Gardens and warm friendly people. Tehran, as Iran's showcase and capital city, has a wealth of cultural attractions and is home to royal complexes built during the two last monarchical periods of the country, including the Golestan, Sa'dabad and Niavaran complexes. There are several historic, artistic and scientific museums in Tehran, such as the National Museum, Malek Museum, Ferdows Garden, Glassware and Ceramics Museum, Museum of the Qasr Prison, the Carpet Museum, Museum of Glass Painting (vitrai art) and the Safir Office Machines Museum. There is also the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art in which works of famous artists such as Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol are featured. Tehran is the focal point of Iran’s transportation network and the center in which more than 40% of the nation’s economic activities takes place. Tehran is a modern megalopolis prides itself in having unique museums with immense and unrivaled collections and artifacts dating from the earliest onset of history to the present era. The city is home to many historic mosques as well as several churches, synagogues and Zoroastrian fire temples. However, modern structures, notably Azadi Tower and the Milad Tower, have come to symbolize the city. Tehran is also home to the Iranian Imperial Crown Jewels, claimed to be the largest jewel collection in the world. The collection comprises a set of crowns and thrones, some 30 tiaras, numerous aigrettes, jewel studded swords and shields, a vast amount of precious loose gems, as well as the largest collections of emeralds, rubies and diamonds in the world. It also includes other items collected by the Shahs of Iran. The imperial crown jewels are on display at the Central Bank of Iran.

The lavish Golestan palace in which awaits numerous cultural monuments including The Marble Throne, Karim Khani Nook, Salam Hall and The Building of Windcatchers, is a masterpiece of the Qajar era, embodying the successful integration of earlier Persian crafts and architecture with Western influences. Golestan palace literally the Roseland Palace is the former royal Qajar complex in Tehran and the oldest of the historic monuments in Tehran. This complex not only illustrates an important part of the Iranian contemporary history and art, but also due to its being home to some epoch-making events, it has found a unique place among other historic sites. The UNESCO world heritage site of The Golestan Palace belongs to a group of royal buildings that were once enclosed within the mud-thatched walls of Tehran’s Historic Arg (citadel). Golestan Palace Complex consists of 17 structures including palaces, museums, and halls. Almost all this complex was built during the 200 years ruling of Qajarian kings. These palaces were used for many different occasions such as coronation and other important celebrations such as formal royal receptions. Read more

The Marble Throne (Takht e Marmar) is a 250-year-old royal throne in Golestan palace which was built from 1747 to 1751. It consists of 65 marble stone pieces from a mine in Yazd. The throne's supports are carved in the shape of men, women, fairies, and demons. The Royal Balcony of the Marble Throne is said to be built during the reign of Karim Khan Zand, but Karim khan is known to have even refused the title king, and preferred to sit on a carpet rather than a throne so his ownership of the Marble throne is unlikely. it has been changed several times during the Qajar period. The twin stone columns of the balcony were transferred to Tehran, by the order of Agha Mohammad Khan, from Shiraz.

Karim Khani Nook (Khalvat e Karim Khani) dating back to 1759 was a part of the interior residence of Karim Khan of Zand. The basic structure of the Karim Khani Nook is similar to the Marble Throne. Like the latter, it is a terrace. There is a small marble throne inside the terrace. The structure is much smaller than the Marble Throne and it has much less ornamentation. There was once a small pond with a fountain in the middle of this terrace. Water from a subterranean stream (the king’s qanat) flowed from the fountain into the pond and was later used to irrigate the palace grounds. This marble stone, with a craved image of Nasser ol Din Shah, is indeed a site to behold.

Salam (Reception) Hall (Talar e Salam) was originally designed to be a museum. After the Sun Throne (Takht e Khorshid) was moved to the Royal Jewels Museum at the Central Bank of Iran, this hall was designated to hold special receptions in the presence of the king, hence the name Salam Hall. Tourists and envoys from European courts received in the Arg during the reign of Nasser ol Din Shah, spoke of this outstanding hall comparing it to its European counterparts. This hall has exquisite mirrors work. The ceiling and walls are decorated with plaster molding. The floors are covered with mosaic. During the reign of Nasser ol Din Shah, this hall was used to exhibit Iranian and European paintings alongside gifts presented to the Iranian court. Royal jewels were also exhibited inside glass cases. These jewels are now housed at the Royal Jewels Museum of the Central Bank of Iran.

The Building of Windcatchers (Emarat e Badgir) was constructed during the reign of Fath Ali Shah. The building underwent major renovations, including structural changes, during the reign of Nasser ol Din Shah. A watercolor rendering by Mahmoud Khan (Malek ol Shoara) depicts the original structure prior to renovations. It is flanked by two rooms known as "Gooshvar" (corner-like). There is a central room which boasts the finest stained glass window in the Golestan Palace. Outside, there are four wind towers of blue, yellow and black glazed tiles and a golden cupola. The Windcatchers are constructed to allow the cooling wind move through the structure.

The Museum of Ancient Iran, a Sassanid brick revival building inaugurated in 1937 houses one of the most important collections of objects from both the pre Islamic and Islamic periods. It preserves ancient Persian antiquities including pottery vessels, metal objects, textile remains, and some rare books, coins etc. Plus it is one of the first museums, which was built during the Qajar period to cater for Nader Shah’s Indian treasure, and is now part of the Ministry of Education. Read more

The Treasury of National Jewels which is a collection of the most expensive jewels of the world, collected over centuries. One of which includes one of the two greatest diamonds, Darya-e-Noor (sea of light). Every piece of this collection is a reflection of the tumultuous history of this great nation, and artistry of the residents of this land. Each piece recalls memories of bitter-sweet victories and defeats, of the pride and arrogance of rulers who were powerful or weak. Read more

Abyaz Palace, the Ottoman king, Sultan Abd ol Hamid, sent precious gifts to Nasser ol Din Shah. Reportedly, these gifts were copious and enough to fill a castle. The Qajar monarch decided to build an exhibit hall worthy of these gifts within the confines of the Golestan Palace. It is believed that Nasser ol Din Shah, himself designed the structure, with a central hall large enough to house the carpet which was sent by Sultan Abd ol Hamid. Completed in 1883, the Abyaz (White) Palace now houses one of the most interesting ethological museums in Iran. There is a colorful exhibition of traditional Iranian costumes, as well as a folk art exhibition.

The Saadabad Palace with an immense area of 1,100,000 square meters and 18 magnificent historical palaces is a palace built by the Pahlavi dynasty of Iran in the Shemiran area of Tehran and currently official residence of the President of Iran. Aside from the artefacts contained within, the palaces offer a fascinating glimpse of the opulent lifestyle of the shah and his guests. This complex was first inhabited by Qajar monarchs and royal family in the 19th century. After an expansion of the compounds, Reza Shah lived there in the 1920s. And his son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi moved there in the 1970s. Currently, parts of the Saadabad Palace compound are museums, in which visitors can roam through and look at the rich history of Iran. Read more

Abgineh museum’s building is octagonal, in a garden 7000 square meters large. The building of the museum itself is intriguing for the enthusiasts. This building used to belong to Ghavam-Alsaltaneh, the Vizier of Ahmad Shah from Ghajarid Dynasty. Abgineh museum is a valuable collection of pre-Islamic and Islamic glass and ceramics, beautifully displayed and located in an elegant early 20th-century mansion with two floors and five halls. Art works and handicrafts exhibited in this museum include three collections of porcelains, glassworks and crystals from the 18th & 19th century's BC. The magnificent collection of porcelains exhibits a thorough history of ceramics and porcelains made in Iran from the dawn of history until today. It also provides a bulk of information about the evolution of porcelain and its production technique. Glass works that are exhibited in this museum start from the ones made in the first and second millennium BC and extend up to modern ones. On the ground floor hall of the museum, crystal and flint glass samples of 18th and 19th centuries are exhibited. All these samples are mostly cut and made in Europe. 

Carpet Museum of Iran located in Tehran, beside Laleh Park was founded in 1976. The Carpet Museum of Iran exhibits an excellent collection of hand woven Persian carpets and Kilim from all over Iran, dating from the 18th century to the present. The museum was designed by the last Queen of Iran, Farah Diba Pahlavi. The perforated structure around the museum's exterior is designed both to resemble a carpet loom, and to cast shade on the exterior walls, reducing the impact of the hot summer sun on the interior temperature. Carpet-weaving is undoubtedly one of the most distinguished manifestations of Iranian culture and art, dating back to the Bronze Age, but as the materials used in carpets including wool and cotton, decay into dust during the course of time, archaeologists couldn’t make any special discovery during the archaeological excavations. Read more

Qasr Garden museum used to be a prison in Tehran. It was one of the oldest Iranian political prisons. In 2008 it closed forever and is to be turned into an enormously popular tourist attraction. It was built by the order of Fat′h Ali Shah of the Qajar dynasty in 1790 in the form of a palace. It was the first prison in Iran in which the prisoners got their legal advantages.

The Grand Bazaar also known as Tehran's Grand Bazaar is a historical market situated in the capital of Iran, Tehran. While the current bazaar is most associated with the 19th century onwards, its roots go back much further. Throughout its history, in addition to shops the Grand bazaar has contained banks and financiers, mosques and guest houses. Traditionally, the Tehran bazaar was split into corridors, each specializing in different types of goods including copper, carpets, paper, spices and precious metals, as well as small traders selling all types of goods. Today, modern goods are available as well, in addition to the many traditional corridor traders that still survive. The Grand bazaar is still an important place of commerce for Tehranis, Iranians, travelling merchants and increasingly tourists. Read more

Azadi Tower a memorial built during the Pahlavi period, has long been the most famous symbol of Tehran. It was constructed to commemorate the 2,500 year celebration of the Persian Empire, and combines elements of the architecture of the Sassanid and Achaemenid eras with Post-Islamic Iranian architecture. Read more

Milad Tower, the sixth tallest tower and the17th tallest freestanding structure in the world, is the city's second landmark tower. Read more

Tabiat Bridge, the largest pedestrian overpass in Tehran, was completed in 2014 and is considered as the third symbolic building of the city. Read more

Bame Tehran (Roof of Tehran) is a popular recreational region for Tehran's residents in the Alborz mountains and also it is one of the main promenade in capital of Iran that is located in the north of Tehran at a height of 1,900 meters above the sea level. Local people go there to walk and have a full view over this huge city from above and also to take a break from busy everyday life. The walking road has a mild slope which makes it suitable for walking at any age. It startes from station 0 and ends in station 1. You can walk from station 0 to station 1 in about 30 minutes. You can also use the bus service for going up or coming down. There are several cafes and restaurants and facilities like bunji-jumping and paintball in the area. At the end of the walking road, the road to famous Mount Tochal starts which you can go up either on foot or by Tochal telecabin, which is a gondola lift that begins from Velenjak valley at 1900m and ends in the last station at 3740m near the main ridge of Tochal. This gondola lift is used for accessing ski resorts and other recreational centers on the mountain.

Darband was formerly a village close to Tajrish, Shemiran, and is now a neighbourhood inside Tehran's city limits. It is the beginning of a very popular hiking trail into the Mount Tochal, which towers over Tehran. A chair lift is also available for those not interested in hiking. Darband has a suitable climate all year round, and sees heavy snowfall every year. The initial start of the trail at Darband is about 250 meters long and is dotted with a number of small cafes and restaurants. These are quite popular and are busy in the evenings, as locals and tourists alike visit the many hooka lounges (locally called qavekhane sonnati) along the trail.

Farahzad is a neighborhood in West Tehran, the capital city of Iran. It is located in the North West of Old Tehran which is one of the oldest villages of Tehran. The village is over 1500 years old.

Darakeh is a neighbourhood located north of the provincial capital of Tehran. It is near Evin and Velenjak. It is a popular hiking area that attracts many tourists.

The Shāh Abdol Azīm Shrine located in Rey, Iran, contains the tomb of: ‘Abdul ‘Adhīm ibn ‘Abdillāh al-Hasanī (aka. Shah Abdol Azim). Shah Abdol Azim was a fifth generation descendant of Hasan ibn ‘Alī and a companion of Muhammad al-Taqī. He was entombed here after his death in the 9th century. Adjacent to the shrine, within the complex, include the mausoleum of Imamzadeh Tahir (son of the fourth shia Imam Sajjad), and Imamzadeh Hamzeh (brother of the eighth Twelver Imām - Imām Reza) Read more

Imāmzādeh Sāleh is one of many Imāmzadeh mosques in Iran. The mosque is located at Tajrish Square in Tehran's northern Shemiran district. The mosque entombs the remains of Sāleh, a son of the Twelver Shī‘ah Imām, Mūsā al-Kādhim, and is one of the most popular Shī‘ah shrines in northern Tehran.

Firuzkuh, rich in historical heritage, is a city in the middle of Alborz Mountains in Tehran Province.The city has a relatively cool and windy climate. It has some natural attractions and is famous for them, including Tange Vashi, Roodafshan Cave, Gardane Gadook, Zarrin Dasht, etc.