The beginnings of Tehran are unclear but probably occurred sometime in the 11th century. It is believed that, as Tehran had a pleasant climate and was green and fertile, it often came under attack from highwaymen. In order to protect themselves, the villagers made underground dwellings. Hence, the name Tehran (Tah - Ran), meaning "underground town" (Tah meaning under, Ran meaning town or place).

Tehran became a capital in 1789, under Qajar rule, replacing Shiraz in that function, and in 1796, Agha Mohammad Khan was enthroned there. His successor, Fath Ali Shah (1797-1834) continued the transformation of the town and had the Shah's Mosque (today, the Imam Khomeini Mosque) and Golestan Palace built, while Nasir ad-Din Shah (1848-96) enlarged the walls and commissioned the Sepahsalar Mosque.

During the 19th century, the centre of the city remained focused around the palace and the bazaar. However, Reza Shah (1925-1941) preferred to live in his palaces to the west of the town or in those of Sa'ad Abad, 10 kilometers to the north, and large avenues were cut to link these areas together during his reign. This was the beginning of the vertical north-south axis, which is so characteristic of Tehran.

With a population of an estimated 15 million, Greater Metropolitan Tehran ranks as one of the world's largest capitals. The size of the city has expanded to such an extent that it now exceeds that of New York. The skyline of Tehran is growing with an ever-increasing speed - Construction cranes are scattered across the cityscape. New buildings are popping up everywhere, every month.

The majestic mountains surrounding Tehran are gifts of nature whose beauty no human creation can touch.  Without them Tehran would not be "Tehran".

The affluent parts of Northern Tehran boast luxury apartment buildings and condominiums featuring such amenities as "White Glove" doorman service with pools, Jacuzzis and private garages in the flat. (You drive the car into the elevator and it will deliver your car to your own private elevated garage next to your flat) Real Estate prices in Tehran have recently reached levels comparable to New York City. It's not uncommon to see a two to three-bedroom apartment in Tehran going for more than $1,000,000. However, few investments in the world offer such fast and generous returns.

Tehran is expanding in all directions, including into the mountains. Recently, there have been most ambitious and rigorous efforts to establish order and discipline in the extremely chaotic traffic of the city. Cameras have been installed throughout the highway system and in busy intersections.  These eyes in the sky zoom in to register the license plate of violators. An authoritative voice blares out from loudspeakers installed at busy intersections admonishing the driver who has violated the traffic rules. Huge digital displays along the highways deliver traffic messages.

There are many beautiful parks all around the city.
Below are pictures of these parks taken in different seasons.

Darband is a beautiful resort in the mountains surrounding Tehran - A great place to cool down for those escaping the summer heat and Tehran's pollution. Darband mountains provide a place for people of Tehran to spend their time in a cool enviroment by the river & nature ...
The initial start of the trail at Darband is about 250 metres long and dotted with a number of small cafes and restaurants. These are quite popular and busy in the evenings.  Locals and tourists alike visit the many hooka lounges (locally called ghavekhane sonnati) along the trail.

On the way to the trail, there are stores that sell seasonal treats (fresh almonds, berries, etc).

Darake is an area in the Northeastern part of Tehran which consists of a village and numerous trails into the mountains. The trails draw the crowds for various reasons. They lead into the mountains and along the trails are fast-moving streams and waterfalls created by thousands of years of melting snow.
The trail is extremely popular, especially among younger Tehranis. Along the trail are several chaikhanes (tea houses) where one can rest, sit on a rope bed and sip piping hot tea. What to eat with the tea? Well, besides a number of common Iranian nibbles, one will find an abundance of shahtoot, or mulberries. The shahtoot are large, plump and delicious. You will of course eat them using your fingers, turning the  fingertips a shade of purple. When you've had enough hiking you can stop just about anywhere along the trail, position yourself on some of the large rocks that lie beside the stream, and dip your feet into the ice cold water. It is exhilarating.
It is best to start out for Darake early in the morning, before the sun rises too high in the sky. If you go early and on a Friday (everyone's day off), you will find that you are not alone. You will see hundreds of Tehranis taking a break from city life, and will doubtless get a chance to meet and speak to many of them.

Jamshidieh Park (or Jamshidieh Stone Garden), established in memorial of Jamshid Davallu Qajar, a Qajar Prince that dedicated this garden to Farah Diba, Empress of Iran. The park, which is located in the Niavaran district at the base of the Kolakchal Mountain, is one of the most picturesque and beautiful parks in Tehran. There are numerous restaurants, traditional teahouses (houses of culture which represent the diversity of Iran's ethnic and tribal heritage), picnic areas and hiking trails from the lower area of the park all the way up to the top of the mountain.
There is also a classically designed open air amphitheatre. The park was developed during the Pahlavi era, but has been upgraded and maintained since the Revolution.

Hashtbehesht is located in the northern part of Tehran near Darake.

Although there are in theory 16 ski resorts located in Iran (depending on the conditions), there are two main resorts: Dizin and Shemshak. These are located very close to each other and there is quite a bit of rivalry.
Shemshak, inaugurated in 1958, is a good resort if you look at skiing as a sport rather than as fun. The  slopes are suitable for expert skiers and those who enjoy ski moguls. If you want to meet the best Iranian skiers and snowboarders this is the place to go.
Dizin is Iran's most frequented ski resort. It is suited to beginners and intermediate skiers and became operational in 1969.  Foreign skiers usually choose Dizin, since it provides the best facilities and ski experience. Dizin is one of the highest ski resorts, its peak reaching an altitude of around 3600 meters
( 12,000 feet.)

Below are some pictures taken from shopping centers in Tehran.

Tehran City Theater is where most of the famous players perform.

Cinemas are very popular.

Iranian composer and conductor, Shahdaad Rohaani, conducting the Tehran Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra at a concert at Tehran's Roudaki Hall, which after the revolution is called "Vahdat Hall".

This facility was built in 1974 for the purpose of hosting the Asian Games and hopefully one day the Olympic Games. But then came the revolution which toppled the regime of the Shah.  Iranian aspirations to host the Olympics vanished overnight. Back then it was called "Aryamehr Stadium" - Aryamehr was the title bestowed on the last Shah of Iran, and translates into "Light-of-the-Aryans" (The name of the country - "Iran" literally means "Aryan", which is ancient Persian for "Noble") Today it's officially called "Freedom Stadium" (Azadi). The AzadiStadium holds more than 100,000 people and the surrounding sports facilities include an indoor swimming pool which supposedly is the largest in the world.

Tehran Museum of Contemporary Arts is one of the world's renowned museums of Modern Art and houses one of the world's largest collections of contemporary Western art -
The largest outside of Europe and the U.S.A. The collections include Rembrandt, Van Gough, Picasso, Salvador Dali, Matisse, Andy Warhol, many more. Tehran's Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA) has one of the largest collections in the world. After the revolution of 1979, many of the "nudes" were kept hidden in the archives. Only recently have many of those nudes reappeared.

IRIB the new headquarters of the state-run Iranian Radio and TV Broadcasting. IRIB's International Service makes it one of the leading in the world. Few other countries target so many different language groups. Here are some of the languages IRIB broadcasts in: Arabic, Albanian, Armenian, Bengal, Bosnian, Chinese, Dari, English, French, German, Hausa, Hebrew, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Kazakh, Kiswahili, Kurdish, Pashto, Russian, Spanish, Tajik, Turkish, Urdu...

The Tehran Monorail, the Metro and a cable-car system will hopefully decrease the choking and
nightmarish Tehran traffic and pollution. The Monorail is under construction and hopefully
 will be in operation in the near future.

This structure, known as the "Shahyad" monument before the revolution - now is known as the "Azadi" (Freedom) monument. As you arrive from Mehrabad International airport, this creation welcomes as an| entrance gate to Tehran. Under the monument there is a vast museum about Iranian history,
and at the top there is a restaurant along with other attractions.

The progressive and modern Tehran of today is an example of Iranian resourcefulness - An asset which has been used to resist the many painful events which have afflicted Iran throughout its long history. The images in this collection may not show the whole picture.  I have chosen to show only the best side of Tehran. Tehran and Iran are faced with many problems - Social, economic, environmental and political -
A lot of these factors are consequences of the long and devastating Iran-Iraq war, U.S. imposed sanctions and international isolation. My aim with putting together this collection is that these pictures reflect "Iranian resourcefulness," provide hope and inspiration, and may help motivate some resolution for  these problems. Let these images serve as a reminder of resourcefulness and a resource for passion, vision and hope for a bright, prosperous and progressive future for Tehran and every corner of Iran.

God Bless Tehran!

Source of the images and the English text: +
Some More Pictures from Iran: ++