Tehran

tehran is 50% modern city with many contrast !!!!!!!!!!!!

From somebody else’s eyes

In 2001 a metro system that had been in planning since the 1970s opened the first two of seven envisaged lines—even though the city is prone to earthquakes. Work has been slow and coverage remains very limited. Development of the Tehran metro system had been interrupted by the Islamic Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War. Problems arising from the late completion of the metro led to buses taking on the role of the metro lines, serving mainly long distance routes. Taxis filled the void for local journeys. The taxis only drive on main roads, and only within the local area, so it can be necessary to take several taxis to get to one’s final destination. This has all led to extreme congestion and air pollution within the city.
       

Excavations place the existence of settlements in Tehran as far back as 6000 BC. Tehran was well known as a village in the 9th century, but was less well-known than the city of Rhages which was flourishing nearby in the pre-Mongol era. In the 13th century, following the destruction of Ray by Mongols, many of its inhabitants fled to Tehran. In some sources of the Mongol era the city is mentioned as “Rhages’s Tehran” (طهرانِ ری). The city is later mentioned in Hamdollah Mostowfi’s Nuz’hat al-Qulub (written in 1340) as a famous village.
       

I went there last December (2005) to visit my family for the first time. It was absolutely incredible. The culture is beautiful. And although I had to be covered up (which I disliked a great deal), it was completely worth it. I saw mountains. Beautiful mountains. And the flowers at the Bazaar-eh Gol… I had never seen such big blossoms, smelled such fragrant flowers. The food… you’ll taste fruit and vegetables for the first time. The bread and cheese is to die for, especially because the bread is baked hot and fresh every morning at 5 am. It is a very dirty city, and driving in a car, you may get woozy. It’s also very hot in summer, I’ve heard. And it was not really all that cold in winter. So it’s rather mild. But overall… an amazing experience. People are friendly. The things you hear in America about the violence.. I never saw any of that. People are very open. Basically, it’s a true once-in-a-lifetime unforgettable experience.