Geography
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With nearly 11 million inhabitants ( one sixth of the country's total population in less than 18956 square kilometers, Tehran is the country's most densely populated province. The district of Tehran is the most populated in the |
province and in the country, in which the city of Tehran hosts 6,758,845 people, and the district of Karaj comes in the second place to accommodate more than a million inhabitants. In 1996 from the total population of the province, 84.1 5% were urban dwellers and 15.85% were registered as villagers. The province of Tehran includes 9 districts which are: Tehran, Shemiranat, Rey, Islamshahr, Shahreyar, Karaj, Jajroud, Lar, Roud-i-Shoor, Hableh Roud and Taleqan Roud flow across Tehran province, With the dams of Karaj, Latian and Lar, these rivers supply Tehran's drinking water and parts of the country's electrical power. river-sides and dam-lakes provide also valuable tourism sites for visiting and enjoying walking and viewing beautiful natural sites as well as practicing various kinds of sports, including water sports. These are in addition to sports which could be practiced in the mountainous areas around Tehran, such as climbing and skying.
The first mention of Tehran in an old geographical text is made in the 10th century Massalek-al Mamalek (The Ways of States) by Estakhri. Yaqoot Hamavi's thirteenth century work. It was just a village before the Safavid era. Mojam-al Boldan (A Lexicon of Cities) discusses the Village of Tehran in detail. Later, one frequently comes across the name of this village with many farms, gardens and orchards, due to its plenty of water and moderate weather. By the Mongols' invasion and the consequent severe devastation the city of Rey received, most of the Rey's people took refuge to this village.
This was the start point forth growth of Tehran, and gradually this village that was famous for its fine fruits and beautiful gardens, underwent new developments. Shah Tahmasb, one of the Safavid kings, chose Tehran as administrative center for the Safavid dinastry, which resulted in constructing many big governmental buildings, castles and gates.
History Of Tehran
| Tehran, the capital of the Islamic Republic of Iran, is one of the largest metropolitans of the world, and it is the country's largest economic center and the base for its large and small modern technological and industrial establishments. Located on the slopes |
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of the mountains and at the foot of the magnificent Mount Damavand, it has been the country's capital city for only 200 years now.
With an altitude of 1200 meters above sea level, Tahran is a city of all four seasons with hot summers, freezing winters, and brief springs and autumns. The highest recorded summer temperature in Tehran has been 42 degrees centigrade while the lowest has been registered at 8 degrees below zero.
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At the time of the Zand dynasty, it was a small town that was significant from a military point of view. The first of the Qajar kings, Agha Mohammed Khan, named Tehran as the country's capital in 1789. |
Nevertheless, the capital's development started at the time of another Qajar monarch, Fath-Ali Shah. The citadel which Agha Mohammed Khan had built was developed to include the new the new royal buildings.
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| At the same time, the city's population was redoubled. With the increasing importance of the city, soon gates, squares and mosques were built and it |
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was at the time of Nassereddin Shah that the city's master plan was prepared and modern streets were formed. later, large central squares like Toopkhaneh (now Imam Khomeini) square and several military buildings were constructed. with the decline of the Qajar dynasty, Tehran soon took the shape of a modern city. The construction of large government buildings, new streets, recreation centers, urban service establishments, and academic and scientific centers were started, while most of the old gates and buildings were destroyed and the city's old architectural fabric replaced by a modern one. |
