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| In ] a ] system that had been in planning since the ] opened the first two of seven envisaged lines. The metro system's development had been interrupted by the ] and the war with ]. 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. ]s filled the void for localised routes, not carrying passengers to their final destinations but operating routes along main routes and atteries. This has all led to extreme ] and ] within the city. The rate of traffic casualties is enormous. | In ] a ] system that had been in planning since the ] opened the first two of seven envisaged lines. The metro system's development had been interrupted by the ] and the war with ]. 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. ]s filled the void for localised routes, not carrying passengers to their final destinations but operating routes along main routes and atteries. This has all led to extreme ] and ] within the city. The rate of traffic casualties is enormous. | ||
| Tehran is served by 2 airports, ], the old airport located |
Tehran is served by 2 airports, ], the old airport located in the western part of the city, and ], outside the city and to the south, which opened in ]. | ||
| ==External link== | ==External link== | ||
Revision as of 11:03, 22 June 2004
Tehran (also spelled Teheran) (تهران in Persian), population 11,050,000 (metropolitan: 15,000,000), is the capital of Iran. More than half of the country's industry is based there. Industries include electrical equipment, textiles, sugar, cement, and motor vehicle assembly. It is also a leading center for the sale of carpets. There is an oil refinery nearby.
History
It seems that Tehran has existed as a village in the 9th century, but hasn't been famous because of the flourishing Rages nearby in the pre-Mongol era. In the 13th century, following the destruction of the city of Rages by Mongols, many of its inhabitants fled to Tehran. In some sources of the Mongol era the city is mentioned as "Rages's Tehran" (طهرانِ ری). The city is later mentioned in Hamdollah Mostowfi's Nezhat-ol-Gholoob (written in 1340) as a famous village.
Tehran became a residence of the Safavid rulers in the 17th century by Tahmasp I who built a baazar for it, and a wall around the city, but was later abandoned a little because Abbas I started to hate the city deeply, after he turned sick when he was passing the city to go to a war with Uzbeks.
In the early 18th century, Karim Khan Zand ordered a palace, a harem, and a governmental office to be built in Tehran, possibly to declare the city his capital, but later moved his government to Shiraz. Tehran finally became the capital of Persia in 1795, when the Qajar king Agha Mohammad Khan was crowned in the city. It remains the capital to this day.
During World War II, British and Soviet troops entered the city. Tehran was the site of the Teheran Conference in 1943, attended by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Premier Joseph Stalin.
Attractions and facilities
The Peacock Throne of the Persian Shahs can be found in Tehran's Gulistan Palace. Tehran is the site of the most important universities in Iran, and most specifically Sharif University of Technology, University of Tehran, and Amirkabir University of Technology. It also contains a college of fine arts, a military academy, and several religious schools. Tehran is also home to the Tehran Stock Exchange which is a full member of the FIBV and a founding member of the Federation of Euro-Asian Stock Exchanges.
Transportation
In 2001 a metro system that had been in planning since the 1970s opened the first two of seven envisaged lines. The metro system's development had been interrupted by the Islamic Revolution and the war with 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 localised routes, not carrying passengers to their final destinations but operating routes along main routes and atteries. This has all led to extreme congestion and air pollution within the city. The rate of traffic casualties is enormous.
Tehran is served by 2 airports, Mehrabad International Airport, the old airport located in the western part of the city, and Imam Khomeini International Airport, outside the city and to the south, which opened in 2004.