Tehran, << teh RAHN >> (pop. 8,693,706), also spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and the second largest city in the Middle East. Only Cairo, the capital of Egypt, has more people. Tehran is Iran’s cultural, economic, and political center. It lies in northern Iran, at the foot of the Elburz Mountains.
The city.
Tehran has many wide boulevards lined with tall, modern buildings of Western-style architecture. The major business and government buildings are near the center of the city. In the same area is a business section where merchants sell fabrics, jewelry, and other handmade products at a bazaar that is hundreds of years old.
Most of Tehran’s middle-class residents live in apartment buildings. Large numbers of poor people live in run-down apartments and houses in the southern part of Tehran.
Tehran has many parks and theaters. Its museums include the Archaeological and Ethnological museums and the Golestan Palace, which feature many treasures from Iran’s past. The city has several universities, the largest of which is the University of Tehran.
Economy.
The Iranian government employs many of Tehran’s people. The city’s industries include banking, construction, and petroleum processing. Its factories make bricks, cigarettes, textiles, and other products.
Buses and taxis provide public transportation in Tehran. An international airport lies west of the city.
History.
People probably lived on the site of what is now Tehran at least 3,000 years ago. Tehran was a small town until the 1200’s, when it began to grow. The city became the capital of Iran in 1788.
During the 1920’s, many of Tehran’s old buildings were torn down and replaced by new ones. Between 1960 and 1980, the population increased by about 4 million. This rapid growth caused a number of problems, including a housing shortage, pollution, and traffic jams. Since the 1970’s, a number of residential and office buildings have been built in the city. Since the 1980’s, however, tough economic conditions in Iran have resulted in a dramatic decline in the standard of living of many of Tehran’s people.
