Tehran is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is in the northern part of the country.
While Tehran is, in relative terms, a newer city the nation of Iran, formerly known as Persia, goes back to ancient times. The monarchy that was overthrown in the 1979 revolution was 2500 years old. The National Museum of Iran has a vast array of artifacts going back to ancient times. In the following link, you can "walk" around the museum by using the arrows. The first four images of artifacts in the museum are from Google Street View.
There are multiple scenes following. To see the scenes, after the first one, you must first click the up arrow, ^, before you can move on to the next scene by clicking the right or forward arrow, >. After clicking the up arrow you can then hide the previews of successive scenes, if you wish.
Iran has long been known for it's carpets. The following two images are from Google Street View.
The final dynasty of the ancient monarchy that was overthrown in 1979 was the Pahlavi Dynasty. It consisted of a father, and then son, ruling as shah. The father was Reza Shah and the son was Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. The dynasty before that was the Qajar Dynasty. It was the Qajar Dynasty that made Tehran into the capital of Iran.
There used to be a citadel around which Tehran was built and within the citadel was the palace from which the Qajar Dynasty ruled. It is the Gholestan Palace and the Pahlavi Dynasty later ruled from here. Here is a look at the Gholestan Palace. The first six images of the Gholestan Palace are from Google Street View. In the final image you can see the use of mirrors in traditional Iranian decor.
In 1967 the Shah had his famous ceremony in which he was crowned "King of Kings". It was held at the Gholestan Palace. Gold seems to be universally valued but diamonds vary by culture. Some cultures value diamonds more than others. Iran, along with Britain, seems to be where diamonds are valued the most. The world has probably never seen as much jewelry as was brought out for this ceremony. The following image, from Google Street View, shows where Iran displays the national jewelry collection, but the inside isn't covered by Street View.
The Pahlavi Dynasty used the Gholestan Palace for receptions and followed the Qajar Dynasty in residing and working on the Sadabad Palace Complex. The following scenes are of the Sadabad Complex and the first three images of the Green Palace in the Complex are from Google Street View. Mirrors were extensively used here.
To celebrate the 2500 anniversary of the Persian Empire, in 1971, the Shah, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, commissioned what is now called the Azadi Tower. The name was changed after the 1979 revolution. This is a look at the Azadi Tower. The first four images are from Google Street View. The fourth image is of an art display in the basement of the tower.
As we saw in our visit to "Cairo" the final Shah, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, has his tomb in the Al Rifai Mosque. The following image is from Google Street View. You can see the red and green of the Iranian flag. It is the Shah's Imperial Flag, with the lion, the sun and, the sword. These symbols were removed from the flag after the revolution.
On my wall I have an autographed portrait of the final Empress of Iran, Empress Farah.
The final Shah of Iran built the Niavaran Palace Compound, which was completed in 1967. This is a look at it. The first nine images are from Google Street View.
At the Niavaran Palace Compound is a museum of the cars that the Pahlavi Dynasty used. Image from Google Street View.
Iran has been Islamic for only about half of it's long history. The predominant religion before Islam was Zoroastrianism. In the early days of Islam, during the Seventh Century, the Rashidun Caliphate, which was the first four caliphs, conquered Persia and it gradually converted to Islam. In the Eighteenth Century the Safavid Dynasty forcibly converted the country to Shiite Islam, instead of Sunni.
The following scenes are of the Imamzadeh Saleh Shrine. This is a prominent Shiite shrine in Tehran. The first six images are from Google Street View. The final image shows more of the exquisite use of mirrors.
On the shrine we see the images of Ayatollah Khomeini, who led the Islamic Revolution that overthrew the Shah in 1979, (top) and his successor Ayatollah Khamenei, who has been the spiritual leader since Khomeini died in 1989 (bottom). Both images from Google Street View.
The Mausoleum of Ayatollah Khomeini is like a cross between a palace and a mosque. Does anyone remember the funeral of Khomeini, in 1989? It might be the greatest funeral that the world has ever seen. This is the Mausoleum. The first nine images are from Google Street View. The two portraits in the first image are of Ayatollah Khomeini, right, and his son, left. Several other top figures from the Iranian Revolution have their tombs here. The actual tombs are in the chambers with green light.
The name of Khomeini is often seen, including the new airport. The following image, from Google Street View, is of a mosque named for Ayatollah Khomeini.
Tehran is high in elevation and is surrounded by higher ground. The following three images, from Google Street View, are looking out over the city. Maybe the reason that Iranians in the U.S. are centered around Los Angeles is the similarity of the terrain. This is very much like looking out over Los Angeles.
One of the most visible sights in Tehran is the Milad Tower. The first four images are from Google Street View.
This is the central part of Tehran. The seven images of residential towers are from Google Street View.
This is an everyday business district of Tehran. The first four images are from Google Street View.