History

Toopkhaneh Square, Tehran

, in the early to mid-20th century.

Iranian Foreign Ministry

Green Palace at the Sadabad Palace complex.

Excavations place the existence of settlements in Tehran as far back as 6000 BCE. ^{Tehran was well known as a village in the 9th century, but was less well-known than the city of Rhages (Ray) which was flourishing nearby in the early era. In the 13th century, following the destruction of Ray by Mongols, many of its inhabitants escaped to Tehran . In some sources of the early era, the city is mentioned as "Rhages's Tehran " . The city is later mentioned in Hamdollah Mostowfi's Nuz'hat al-Qulub (written in 1340) as a famous village.}

^{Don Ruy Gonzáles de Clavijo, a Castilian ambassador, was probably the first European to visit Tehran, stopping in July 1404, while on a journey to Samarkand (now in ) and the Mongol capital at the time. At this time, the city of Tehran was unwalled.}

^{Tehran became a residence of the Safavid rulers in the 17th century. Tahmasp I built a bazaar and a wall around the city, but it somewhat fell out of favor after Abbas I turned sick when he was passing the city to go to a war with the Uzbeks.}

^{In the early of 18th century, Karim Khan Zand ordered a palace, a harem[citation needed], and a government 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 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 Tehran Conference in 1943, attended by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin.}

^{Tehran is also home to many grand mansions in the north of the city and the Shahrak-e Gharb District.}

^{Northern part of Tehran with Tochal mountain on the background.}

^{Tehran's climate is largely defined by its geographic location, with the towering Alborz Mountains to its North and the central desert to the South. It can be generally described as mild in the spring, hot and dry in the summer, cool and rainy in autumn and cold in the winter. As a large city with a significant differences in elevation among various districts, the weather is often cooler in the hilly north as compared to the flat southern part of Tehran . Summer is usually hot and dry with very little rain. The majority of precipitation occurs from mid-autumn to mid-spring. The hottest month is July (mean minimum temperature 23°C, mean maximum temperature 36°C) and the coldest is January (mean minimum temperature -1°C, mean maximum temperature 8°C)
Although compared to other parts of the country, Tehran enjoys a moderate climate, weather conditions can sometimes be unpredictably harsh. The record high temperature is 48°C and the record low is -20°C.}

  ^{Population of Tehran}

^{The city of Tehran had a population of about 8 million people at the time of the last official census in 2008 .}

^{With its cosmopolitan air, Tehran houses diverse ethnic and linguistics groups from all over the country and represents the ethnic/linguistic composition of (though with a different percentage). More than 60 percent of Tehranis were born outside Tehran .}

^{Today the majority of Tehran residents are known as Persians who speak many different dialects of Persian corresponding to their hometown, including Esfahani, Shirazi, Yazdi, Khuzestani, Dari, Judeo-Persian, etc. The second largest linguistic group is that of the Azeri-speakers.}

 

^{Architecture and landmarks}

^{Khalvat Karimkhani}

^{Post-Modern Architecture A commercial building in Tehran}

^{Tehran is a relatively old city; as such, it has an architectural tradition unique to itself. Archaeological investigations and excavations in Tehran demonstrate that this area was home to civilizations as far back as 6,000 years BC. Tehran served only as a village to a relatively small population for most of its history, but began to take a more considerable role in after it was made the capital in the 19th century. Despite the occurrence of earthquakes during the Qajar period and before, some buildings still remain from Tehran 's era of antiquity. Today Tehran is 's primate city, and has the most modernized infastructure in the country; however, the gentrification of old neighborhoods and the demolition of buildings of cultural significance has caused concerns.}

^{The Azadi Tower has been the longstanding symbol of Tehran . It was constructured to commemorate the 2,500th anniversary of the Persian empire, and was originally named " Shahyad Tower "; after the Iranian revolution, its name changed to " Azadi Tower ," meaning " Freedom Tower ." The recently constructed Milad Tower may eventually replace the Azadi Tower as Tehran 's new symbol. The Milad complex contains the world's fourth tallest tower, several restaurants, a five star hotel, a convention center, a world trade center, and an IT park. Traditionally a low-lying city due to seismic activity in the region, modern high rise developments in Tehran have been undertaken in order to service its growing population.}

^{The tallest residential building in is a 54-story building located North of Youssef Abad district, the Tehran International Tower . It is architecturally designed similar to Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip in the Paradise community of Clark County, Nevada, United States.Appealing to the principle of vertical rather than horizontal expansion of the city, the Tehran International Tower is bound to the North by Youssef Abad, to the South By Hakim Highway, to the East by Kordesstan Highway and to the West by Sheikh Bahai Highway, all of which facilitate access to various parts of the city.}

^{Religious centers}

^{·         Hosseiniye Ershad}

^{·        Soltani Mosque, built by Fath Ali Shah}

^{·         Atiq Mosque, built in 1663.}

^{·         Mo'ezz o-dowleh mosque, built by Fath Ali Shah}

^{·         Haj Seyd Azizollah mosque, built by Fath Ali Shah}

^{·         Al-javad mosque, 's first modernist design mosque.}

^{·         The Old Sepahsalar mosque, another prominent Qajar era mosque.}

^{·         The new Sepahsalar mosque (Madreseh e Motahari)}

^{·         Filsuf o-dowleh Mosque, Qajar era}

^{·         Moshir ol-Saltaneh Mosque, Qajar era}

^{·         Mo'ayyer ol-Mamalik Mosque, Qajar era}

^{·        Shahr Banu Mausoleum}

^{·         Javan-mard Qassab Mausoleum, a pre-Islamic semi-mythical hero}

^{·         Dozens of Imam-zadeh shrines, hundreds of years old, including that of Imam Zadeh Saleh.}

^{·         Dozens of Saqa Khanehs: traditional places of prayer}

^{·         Several Tekyehs: traditional places for mourning Muharram ceremonies for Husayn ibn Ali.}

^{·         Ebn-e Babooyeh cemetery, where many Iranian giants such as Takhti and Ali Akbar Dehkhoda are buried.}

^{·         Zahir o-dowleh cemetery, where many Iranian giants of art and culture such as Iraj Mirza, Mohammad Taghi Bahar, Forough Farrokhzad, Abolhasan Saba, Ruhollah Khaleghi, and Darvish-khan are buried.}

^{·         Kordan Tomb, Seljuqi era, Karaj .}

^{·         Maydanak Tomb, 13th century, Karaj}

^{·         The Polish Cemetery 1-north of Tehran in British Gholhak Garden , where numerous World War II western Allied soldiers are buried. 2- Polish cemetery (Catholic cemetery) Dulab south of Tehran}

^{·          Orthodox Cemetery , Dulab/The Russian Unknown Soldier's Tomb (Cenotaph) is located here with a red star over it}

^{·         Tower of silence (Dakhme gabrha). Located on}

^{Moshiryh Road}

^{behind 7th unit of Tehran cement factory. It is circular in shape.}

^{behind 7th unit of Tehran cement factory. It is circular in shape.}

^{·          Naghare Khane Tower . Located on a mountain with same name (Nagharekhane) in Haftdastagh District, beside}

^{Amin Abad Road}

^{. Its age is not clear but it is related to the Seljuk Era. This tower is the tomb of a Seljuk king. Under the tower you can see other historical ruins (Einanj Dome). This place is a royal cemetery and was used in the early years of the Islamic Era in .}

^{. Its age is not clear but it is related to the Seljuk Era. This tower is the tomb of a Seljuk king. Under the tower you can see other historical ruins (Einanj Dome). This place is a royal cemetery and was used in the early years of the Islamic Era in .}

 

^Pictures

Hasan Abad district near the old Bazaar of Tehran	Farmanieh	has the most extensive highway network in western Asia .	Azadi Tower Square
A Highway in Tehran in Tehran	Tehran from Darabad	A busy street in Tehran	View Of Tehran at night

^{Panoramic view}

^{Panoramic view from Tehran .}

^{Panoramic view from Tehran at night.}

^{Resource: wikipedia website.}