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Fascinating Tehran
Visiting Iran without a trip to Tehran is a big loss. Going out for a delicious Persian dish in one of Darband’s beautiful restaurants, shopping in endless rows of stores at the Grand Bazaar and having a nice day skiing on Tochal’s slopes in winter are only some of the fascinating things you would miss.
Actually this huge and bustling heart of Iran has many other aspects worth discovering.
According to Irpedia website, you can find the oldest and most precious heritages of Iran and the world behind the walls of its unique museums. Tehran’s museums are among the best in the world.
Darya-ye Noor (sea of light), the world’s largest uncut diamond in the National Jewels Museum, the startling exhibit of a saltman in Iran’s National Museum, the stunning collection of Achaemenid gold bowls, drinking vessels, armlets and decorative pieces in Reza Abbasi museum are examples of thousands of works that definitely deserve a visit.
Tehran is a cosmopolitan city and has got mixed features of the first, second and third worlds. While technology and modernity may attempt to cloud its civilizational features, you can find old mosques, churches, mansions and palaces all over the city.
Milad Tower, the world’s 4th tallest tower, is going to be a complete complex and include restaurants at the top with spectacular views, a five-star hotel, a world trade center and an IT park.
Besides being a busy city, Tehran is unique in having large peaceful parks and recreational centers. It has about 800 well-kept parks to which Tehranis flock at the weekends.
Tehran’s recreational sites and resorts at the Alborz foothills such as Park-e Jamshidiyeh, Park-e Mellat, Darakeh, Darband and Tochal are wonderful and visiting at least one of them is a must.
As a rule, the capital of the world’s oldest empire has a lot to offer and a two- or three-day visit to Tehran is too short to explore all its sights and attractions.
Here is a short account of some Tehran’s attractions:
National Museum of Iran
It is a 60-year-old museum and the largest archeological and history museum of Iran. The museum consists of two buildings, allocated to pre- and post-Islamic eras.
Grand Bazaar
Tehran’s Grand Bazaar is the world’s largest and sprawling bazaar, with sections designated for different trade and commodities. It includes 10 km of covered stores with several entrances.
The bazaar is a city within a city, encompassing more than a dozen mosques, several guesthouses, a handful of banks, a church and even a fire station. It is an ideal and inexpensive place to stock up on almost anything you need.
Abgineh Museum (Glass & Ceramic)
Abgineh museum is housed in a beautiful building dating back to the Qajar rule. It has got hundreds of exhibits from second millennium BC. It comprises several halls, workshops and a library.
Artworks and handicrafts exhibited in this museum include many collections of porcelains, glassworks and crystals.
Golestan Palace (Rose Garden)
The palace is made up of grand buildings set around a lovely garden. It is one of the best organized museums in Tehran and contains about 30 showcases displaying everything that makes up the originality of Iranian life such as pottery, stonework, metalwork, marriage papers, stationary, musical instruments and weapons. The spectacular Marble Throne (Takht-e Marmar) is one of the oldest relic of the historic citadel located in the palace. The throne is made of 65 pieces of marble.
National Jewels Museum
The museum is one of the world’s most precious jewelry collections consisting of 37 showcases with hundreds of precious items. The real value of the treasury is not known.
Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art
It contains an interesting collection of paintings by modern Iranian artists. It is thought to be the largest collection of valuable western modern art outside Europe and the US.
Vali-e Asr Avenue
The longest street in the Middle East, Vali-e Asr is 12 miles long, extending from Tehran’s railway station in the south to Tajrish Square in the north. It is lined with a multitude of shops, restaurants, parks and cultural centers.
Carpet Museum
The museum comprises two galleries covering an area of 3,400 square meters. The ground floor gallery is a permanent exhibition and the upper floor gallery is assigned to temporary exhibitions of carpets, kilims and carpet designs.
Sa’dabad Museum Complex
Sa’dabad palace complex in northern Tehran is a huge area of green gardens with 18 palaces, most of them housing museums.
Tochal Telecabin
It is one of the main recreational resorts in northern Tehran. With an altitude of 3,500 meters, people can go hiking and climbing, but the simplest route is via the telecabin. In the winter, its ski station hosts many skiers. A 5-star hotel is located at the top.
Reza Abbasi Museum
It is one of the best museums of Tehran located in a modern four-story building. Collections and objects in this museum are on permanent display in five galleries dating back to the neolithic times.
Azadi Monument
Azadi Tower (Freedom Tower), the symbol of Tehran, includes a cultural center with a library, a museum and art galleries that display works of contemporary artists. With a height of 50 meters, it is the first landmark that visitors come across when arriving at the Tehran Airport.
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Sabalan
A Paradise Mountain
Azarbaijan plateau is a mountainous area located to the northwest of the Iranian plateau. Ardebil province is situated to the east of the plateau.
Due to its mountainous terrain and being situated en route Mediterranean air currents, Ardebil has regions covered with snow nine months a year and various springs.
According to Persian daily Iran, the huge and volcanic Mount Sabalan comprises several mountains such as Saein, Narmiq and Qooshadagh. Sabalan is cone-shaped. The main summit of the mountain (4,811 meters) ranks second after Damavand.
Sabalan is also called ’Savalan’ in Azari language. This mountain range has been of paramount importance since a long time ago. The people of Ardebil have been viewed as very brave since the time Aryans migrated to Persia.
Sabalan’s history has been full of ups and downs. The grandeur of Sabalan has been outlined in the folkloric literature of the people of Azarbaijan. One version of the folkloric literature of the region cites Sabalan as one of the seven large mountains of paradise. History also recalls that mausoleums of many pious men and a few prophets are located in Ardebil. It is said that over 2,000 years ago prophets climbed the mount for the purpose of fulfilling their rituals and praying. This is why a large number of nomadic tribes and villagers climb the mount all the way up to its summit every year in order to pray and thank the God Almighty for His blessings.
In the eyes of the regional people, especially local tribesmen, Sabalan is not just a summer resort or a pasture, but rather a symbol of courage and pride and also a shelter for the oppressed people.
Based on historical and geographical resources, the ancient prophet Zoroaster, who was born in Azarbaijan in 640 BC, left his birthplace to seek shelter in Sabalan at the age of 30. He stayed in the mountain for 10 years in order to pray. Meanwhile, historians suggest different Zoroastrian tribes, such as Goor, Kavoor and Gir, sought shelter in one of the peripheral summits of Sabalan, called ’Hezar Magh’.
Several objects d’art of Zoroastrians, such as a golden chalice, which was used for drinking the lake’s water, have been found in Sabalan’s summit. Other artistic works found in the summit include spoons and needles made from bones, wooden combs, objects in the shape of knives made from bones and a small inscription. These works were scattered all over the summit.
Furthermore, bas-reliefs and stone statues of animals have been found around the summit, all of which hint at the ancient history of the mount.
The exact history of Sabalan is not clear yet. It is high time more comprehensive researches were conducted on the history of the ancient mount.
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Book on Arabic-Persian Interaction Reviewed
The book entitled ’Arabic and Persian Interaction’ was reviewed on the sidelines of the 21st Tehran International Book Fair.
Iranian author Azartash Azarnoush, several university instructors and scholars attended the ceremony, CHN reported.
“The book provides readers with facts on different eras of Iranian history,“ Fatemeh Haj-Mohammadi said.
She noted that it is an in-depth survey of the history of invasion of Iran by Arabs and explains the battles which took place between Arab rulers and Iranians in various parts of Iran. On the other hand, it also discusses many historical facts on the role of Iran’s political and cultural personalities of the time.
“The quality of relations between the Arabic and Persian languages is the most important issue discussed in the book,“ Haj-Mohammadi noted.
She noted that the book explains how Iran’s first Arabic-Persian translation centers were set up and how modern Persian scripts were developed over a four-century span beginning from the era of Salman-e Farsi (seventh century AD).
Azarnoush, who teaches at Tehran’s Imam Sadeq (AS) and Tarbiat Modarres universities, was asked whether his book is a requiem for the obsolescence of the Persian language or is meant to express the power of the Arabic language.
“The Persian language has had an active and dynamic presence over the centuries, but no one has talked about this aspect of the Persian language,“ Azarnoush added.
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China Cultural Ties
A meeting on Iran-China cultural relations was held at the head office of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization in Tehran on May 14.
Qajar Art Show
A collection of miniatures painted during the Qajar period (1794-1925) will be on display at the Cultural Institute for the Museums of Bonyad to commemorate the International Museum Day on May 18.
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Castle Renovation on Agenda
Sistan’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Department, after holding talks with members of Technical Council of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHHTO) on the importance of protecting and expediting renovation of Zabol’s Kouh-e Khajeh Castle, will resume emergency protection of this unique structure of the Arsacides and Sassanid eras.
Head of the department, Rasoul Mousavi Haji, made the above statement.
According to CHN, Haji added, “Since renovation of the castle requires archeological research, we will first begin emergency protection to reinforce the structure so that its walls that are on the verge of destruction will remain intact until the commencement of the final renovation operation.“
Hamoun Drought Lingers
The only hope for saving Hamoun Lake, located in the border region of Iran and Afghanistan, from drought is precipitation in the heights of Hindu Kush, a mountain range between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The Hamoun wetlands are also on the verge of destruction and nobody has taken measures to control the situation. The wetlands also suffered from serious drought previously, but it was hoped that after heavy snowfalls of last winter, water would flow back again. However, the reduction in precipitation in March and April made the region very arid.
According to Persian daily ’Abrar’, head of the Department of Environment of Sistan-Baluchestan province, Parviz Aramanesh said, “Hamoun is in a critical situation and nobody can do anything about it. Given the present circumstances, I consider it a remote possibility that water would flow in the wetlands of Hamoun from Afghanistan. The sad omen is that this year’s drought has created a critical situation nationwide.“
He recalled that Hamoun wetlands had a volume of water amounting to over eight billion cubic meters until 1999.
“However, consecutive droughts have dried up the lake and the wetlands,“ pointed out the official.
Hamoun wetlands are of paramount economic importance for the residents of Sistan. They are also viewed as huge environmental resources. Being situated in the center of arid and semi-arid regions of Iran and Afghanistan, Hamoun protected zone is essentially the only safe habitat for migratory birds in eastern Iran.
Palace Will Be Transformed Into Museum
Falahat Palace will be transformed into traditional arts and agricultural museum.
“Due to its location in the administrative premises of Agricultural Jihad Organization, the palace was under control of the organization until recently,“ deputy head of Ilam’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Department said.
Ali Qassempour pointed out that in the wake of a Cabinet ratification, the palace has been made available to the department, IRNA reported.
“Preliminary works are in the making to transform this palace into a museum. We will also try to display all agricultural phases of the past in the form of prototypes in the museum,“ he said.
The palace has been registered as national heritage.
Castle Protection Underlined
The mountainous castle of Roudkhan is located about 23 km to the southwest of Fouman, in Gilan province. It is situated along the west-east direction and a fence made of stone and brick surrounds it.
The castle is also known as ’Hezarpelleh’ among the local people. Due to its favorable geographical and climatic conditions, every year a large number of tourists visit the castle, reported ISNA news agency.
One important point about the castle is the harm done to it by careless tourists due to shortage of protection personnel. This issue came to the fore last year, but apparently it still remains a matter of concern.
“We are short of sufficient protection guards as compared with the large number of incoming visitors. In the past two or three weeks we had a large number of tourists visiting the relic. At times, we even had 2,000 people touring the castle everyday. So, obviously with two or maximum three guards, we cannot control the incoming tourists,“ the director of Roudkhan Castle project, Payam Shaef said.
“We have a plan which may be prepared within the next couple of weeks. Based on the plan, visitors can tour the area in a special way. In this way tourists will be under more control and any possible damage can be prevented,“ he added.
The official also emphasized that the culture of respecting historic relics must be promoted in the society so that domestic tourists would learn to avoid harming monuments.
Iranian Donates Rare Stamp Collection
More than 3,000 stamps and sealed envelopes on Iran’s historical events were donated by an Iranian expatriate residing in London, Reza Soleimani Yeganeh, to Astan-e Qods Razavi’s Stamps and Banknotes Treasury.
After visiting Imam Reza (AS) Museum, Yeganeh expressed his satisfaction over the manner in which the museum curators have kept the museum objects and that is why he decided to donate his stamp collection.
The stamps donated by Iranian stamp collectors are from different countries such as Germany, Yemen, Hungary, Cyprus, Egypt, Oman, Panama, Poland, Romania, Philippines, Paraguay and Monaco, a press release from Astan-e Qods said.
All the donated stamp collections are displayed in Stamps and Banknotes Treasury of Astan-e Qods Razavi.
The oldest Iranian stamp belongs to Ahmad Shah Qajar’s era which was printed in 1922.
The oldest foreign stamp belongs to Cyprus Island which was printed in 1938.
The donated stamp collections include subjects such as famous works of great painters, late political leaders, musicians, astronauts, flora, traditional cloths, monuments and uniforms of world armies.
It is noteworthy that Astan-e Qods Razavi Museum, with over 200,000 historical stamps from 200 countries and 5,000 banknotes from 80 countries, is one of world’s richest stamps and banknotes museums in the entire Middle East which has attracted many museum curators and stamp collectors from across the world.
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