Tehran
Tehran, the Capital of Iran, is located on the south hillside of the Alborz mountain range with the height of 900 to 1800 m above the sea level. Tehran climate is greatly defined by its geographical location surrounded by the mountains in the north and by desert in the south. Accordingly, the north of Tehran enjoys a cold and arid weather but the south is largely warm and arid.
Placed in a large area, Tehran is one of the biggest, most significant metropolitans in the world. In other word, it is the center of all affairs, government, politics, economy, culture, work, commerce, history, science, industry and production and it is why people are mostly inclined to immigrate to here and the population is continuously increased.
The tourist attractions of Tehran are:
Azadi Tower
The Azadi Tower formerly known as the “Shahyad Tower” or “freedom” Tower is a monument located at Azadi Square, in Tehran. It is one of the symbols of Tehran and marks the west entrance to the city. The tower is about 45 meters tall and is completely clad in marble. It was commissioned by Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, to mark the 2,500th year of the foundation of the Imperial State of Iran.
The Azadi Museum is located at the basement level. The museum houses a number of gold and enamel pieces, painted pottery, marble and paintings. Approximately fifty pieces have been selected, each representing a particular period in Iran’s history.
Milad Tower
Milad Tower also known as the Tehran Tower is a multi-purpose tower in Tehran. It is the Sixth tallest tower and the 17th tallest freestanding structure in the world completed in 2007. Milad tower, a great complex including various parts of technical and cultural structures is one of the unmatched tourism centers in Iran. This tower which contains 12 floors as the highest telecommunication tower in Iran is visible from every district of Tehran. Iranian–Islamic architecture of this tower and its octagonal structure are the interesting and sensible points of this tower architecture. Milad tower has been constituted of different parts as follows: tower’s lobby, body and the vertex of structure, Municipality Museum , tower’s cafeteria, celebrities museum, revolving restaurant, an overlooking terrace, special restaurant, sky dome, exhibition site and the antenna on the top of tower vertex.
Milad Tower
Golestan Palace
One of the oldest historic monuments in the city of Tehran, and also one of the world heritage status is the Golestan Palace which belongs to a group of royal buildings that were once enclosed within the mud-thatched walls of Tehran’s Arg (“citadel”). It consists of gardens, royal buildings, and collections of Iranian crafts and European presents from the 18th and 19th centuries.
The lavish Golestan Palace is a masterpiece of the Qajar era, embodying the successful integration of earlier Persian crafts and architecture with Western influences. The walled Palace became the seat of government of the Qajar family, which came into power in 1779 and made Tehran the capital of the country. It represents a new style incorporating traditional Persian arts and crafts and elements of 18th century architecture and technology.
Golestan Palace
Saad Abad Palace
The complex was initially built and inhabited by Qajar dynasty off monarchs in the 19th century. After extensive expansions, Reza Shah of the Pahlavi Dynasty resided there in the 1920s. His son, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, moved there in the 1970s. After the 1979 Revolution, the complex became a public museum. Saadabad Complex Museums are also open for the visitors. This place was extended at Reza Khan’s command, through constructing 18 small and large palaces in different architectural styles.
Saadabad Complex
Niavaran Palace
The Niavaran Complex is a historical complex situated in Shemiran area. It consists of several buildings and monuments built in Qajar and Pahlavi eras. The complex is the beauty and charm of the amazing architecture, nature and history. Firstly, Niavaran complex was designed as a place for welcome of the royal and high ranking guests of the court but it was allocated to the place of accommodation of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and his family through some changes during its construction. Niavaran palace museum opened to visitors in 1986 and the works of contemporary artists of Iran are added to the museum.
Niavaran Palace
National Museum of Iran
The National Museum of Iran is the country’s prime archaeological and historical museum. It is located in Tehran and is an institution formed of two complexes: the Museum of Ancient Iran and the Museum of Islamic Archaeology and Art of Iran which were opened in 1937 and 1972, respectively. The museums contain preserved ancient and medieval Iranian antiquities, including pottery vessels, metal objects, textile remains, and some rare books and coins.
National Museum of Iran
Treasury of National Jewels
The Treasury of National Jewels located in Tehran was reopened to visitors in 1992, as it was closed to visitors for years. The museum exhibits the Iranian National Jewels which are now one of the famous collections in the world. It includes a collection of expensive and luxury pieces which are from Iran and also other countries. The jewels in the museum reflect the culture, art and history of Iranian people. Most of the jewels belong to the rulers of past periods which were to show their majesties. The Kiani Crown and Golden Globe are two of the most important jewels in the museum. The Kiani Crown was made by the order of Fath Ali Shah around 1800 AD and currently is held in National Jewelry Treasury Museum. The Golden Globe of Naser Al-Din Shah contains 51,366 peaces of jewels installed on a 34 kg globe with 66 cm diameter made of pure gold. The pictures of Kiani Crown and the Golden Globe are shown in the following.
Treasury of National Jewels
Moghadam House
This house once belonged to Mohsen Moghadam, the youngest son of Ehtesab-ol-Molk, Tehran’s mayor during Naser-ol-din Shah’s rule. He studied archaeology in France and collected historical artifacts in his pursuit of archaeology. The museum’s area is about 2100 square meters and reflects the Persian residential architecture of the time.
Abgineh Museum (Glassware & Ceramic Museum)
The beautiful building of the Museum of Glassware & Ceramic is housing glass wares and ceramics. The museum was opened in 1980 while was previously as the Egyptian Embassy. The museum was found by the order of Farah, the former Iranian queen. The area of the construction is 1040 square meters having two stories. The objects in the museum can be categorized as Enamel Gallery, Crystal Gallery, Nacre Gallery, Gold Gallery.
Museum of Glassware & Ceramic
Mount Damavand
Mount Damavand is a potentially active volcano and the highest peak in Iran with the elevation of 5,600 m. The mount is located on Alborz range, 66 kilometers northeast of the city of Tehran. Mount Damāvand is the 12th most prominent peak in the world and the second most prominent in Asia after Everest. There are also natural landscapes worth to visit near the area.