Tehran is worth a visit
You land with your heart in your fist: step on iranian soil it is not anything. You have heard thousands of times about this peculiar destiny. Have you read about it? or story. They have told you all kinds of anecdotes and, most importantly, you have been constantly asked why the hell do you even think of visiting a country “so dangerous”. And you, who know that you shouldn't believe everything they say out there, have decided check it out for yourself.
You have come ready to discover the thousand and one charms of this corner of the world of which there are so many prejudices motivated to kill them. And what better way to start with its capital, Tehran.
A visit to Tehran to break down prejudices
We are not going to fool ourselves: the way from the airport to the city center impress. The traffic chaos He accompanies you in the taxi throughout the journey. Also the images of the martyrs that are exposed in many of the facades. The idiom doesn't help either: your taxi driver just talks farsi, although, with a huge smile in the face, strives to have a conversation with you at all costs. Cool. Things look good!
Tehran is located in the north of Iran, on a plateau surrounded by the Alborz mountains. With around eight and a half million inhabitants, it is considered, together with Cairo, Baghdad, Casablanca or Istanbul, one of the most important cities in the Islamic world.
Despite having enough attractions to dedicate a visit to, the Iranian capital usually ends up excluded of the itineraries of many travelers who let themselves be seduced by cities like Isfahan, Shiraz or the mythical Persepolis. But you, however, have decided to give it a try. 24 hours, to be exact.
Tehran is surrounded by the Alborz mountains
It dawns and you can't think of a better way to start the day than with a exquisite iranian breakfast . The place you choose to delight yourself with its exotic flavors is chai-bar , a beautiful café installed between the gardens and the bookstore of an old mansion with more than 100 years old.
fine breads typical of Persia, cheeses, jams, honey, nuts… You dare and ask for a typical lentil soup that tastes like glory All accompanied, of course, by a traditional iranian tea.
After gathering everything -of course, everything!-, and with enough energy, You begin your wanderings through the city by heading to one of its most notable emblems: the ** Palace of Golestá n **.
This complex of buildings and gardens is the best example that exists of Iranian Golden Age, which took place during the reign of the Qajar dynasty. It was Agha Mohammad Khan who decided to move the capital to Tehran in 1794 and thanks to which, and despite the fact that today it may seem absolutely incredible, this became a city most cosmopolitan.
Your eyes widen as soon as you walk into the amazing gardens of the palace. You take a few steps and immediately you understand why the UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 2013: its Persian-style architecture is pure exquisiteness.
Golestan Palace is a work of art
You walk between hedges and fountains and you are fascinated by the exterior tiles of the buildings. Also for the delicate work of the marble throne , from the beginning of the century XVII. You sense that, inside, things can only get worse.
And yes, you finally walk through its doors and wander through the hall of mirrors, open to the public after being closed for 30 years Precisely here he was crowned Mohammad Reza Pahlevi (the last Iranian shah) in 1967. You behold the Hall of the Brilliant and the elaborate craftsmanship with which they have been placed tiny mirrors covering every space in the room.
You are enchanted with the nickname " Palace of Flowers " and his Wind Catcher Building . There you run into their four traditional cooling towers and you have it clear: there can be nothing more Iranian in the world. Or maybe yes? The answer is found just a couple of streets further south. In “the soul of Iran”: the Grand Bazaar.
You won't be able to stop looking at the tiles
With more than ten kilometers of corridors full of stalls in which the bazaars , -its workers-, have been trading for more than a thousand years, the Grand Bazaar is all a city within another city.
you decide lose you on purpose in the labyrinth of alleys of the world's largest bazaar and you quickly lose track of time. The hours go by as you advance from the area of the rugs to that of spices. From that of the seamstresses, to the specialized in gold.
Smells and sounds surround you that seem to come from other times. Prints with which you always had dreamed of. The bazaar engulfs you and you just feel like you want to walk more and more.
Attached to the Haj Abdollah school you discover a centennial and tiny teahouse in which he decides to give you a break. But immediately the call to prayer begins and you go to investigate
The bazaar swallows you
Chasing the anthill of people rushing through hallways and passageways , you end up in ablution courtyard of the mosque of Imam Khomeini seeing authentic Islam in action. And you have it clear again: there can't be something more iran i in the world Wait, or maybe yes?
you choose Moslem Restaurant to dive into the national gastronomy, a cramped restaurant find a hole at one of the tables -because yes, here everyone shares a place-, it's like finding a needle in a haystack.
You point your finger at a plate while waiters pass over your head with full trays of food. Suddenly, a portion of tachin : rice, lamb, raisins and saffron. The flavors of iran on the table.
When you come to realize, you find yourself "conversing" , somehow, with everyone around you. They make you thousand questions, the same ones that will be repeated in every Iranian city. But above all, they want enjoy of their country, that you feel at home. There is no doubt: much of the charm of Iran resides in its people.
'Tahchin', Iranian delicacy
You walk to the nearby subway station to enter the entrails of Tehran. You discover that the union of modernity and tradition They are also reflected in the subsoil. The subway, with its wagons clean and new looking -they were inaugurated in the year 2000-, transport dozens of women covered with chadors . The crosses of glances and the shy smiles they are almost unavoidable.
Coming back to the surface at the stop Taleqani, you come face to face with a very clear message embodied on a wall: “Down with USA”. It is the wall that surrounds the former US embassy . Exactly: you are in one of the most designated of Iran's recent history.
Although until relatively few years ago I was absolutely forbidden enter this emblematic space, today you can make guided tours by its interior in a desperate measure of Iran by Tell the West your version of what happened there in 1979.
Animosity towards the US in Taleqani
Ok, so what happened? Very simple: the call “ hostage crisis ”. With the Iranian Revolution of 1979, the mandate of the last Shah Of Persia, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and his bloody autocracy, being accused by the people of leading Iran into misfortune while he was backed by the United States, which gave him support in exchange for control of Iranian oil.
During a university demonstration , the students stormed the embassy, always encouraged by the Imam Khomeini, who would take power from that moment, and they kidnapped their workers -52 people between diplomats and civilians- during 444 days . That meant and the end of the relationship between the United States and Iran and the beginning of what we already know: the foundation of the Islamic Republic and the expansion of religious fundamentalism in the country.
But what if not everything happened it was so literal How have you been told a thousand times? What if what the students revealed that day was something much more important ?
Now, while you go through the different rooms of the old to diplomatic headquarters, you contemplate crushers and technological gadgets several, you enter the room Documents forgery and you go through armored doors that give access to bunkered areas.
the most beautiful sunset
So your guide shows cutting : “From here not only visas were issued or expatriates were attended to. From here the Embassy of the United States functioned as espionage center for the iranian government ”.
You leave the old embassy and everything in your head is spinning . It's time to relax a bit. You walk by the neighbor Artists Park and you don't think twice when you decide to say goodbye to Tehran all the way up Literally.
The Milad Tower It is 435 meters high and is the sixth telecommunications tower biggest in the world. Built in 2012, in its highest area are a watcher, a restaurant, a gallery and a cafeteria.
There you wait, with an iranian tea and a shisha, until the sun sets. And while you witness one of the most beautiful sunsets that can be seen over Tehran, your mind only thinks of keep digging . To keep discovering. In continuing to delve a little deeper into the history of this unusual and fascinating country.