A capital which has been for an entire century a setting for revolt, rallies and ideology, which saw the mighty King of Kings fall to a bearded pious theologian, which has seen millions on its streets year in year out, Teheran stands alone as the supreme city of ideology.
The story of Teheran begins with Agha Mohammad Khan, founder of the Kadjar dynasty, when he established the little mountainside town as the seat of his empire. Little could be guessed on how history would transform Teheran into the megacity it has now become. Teheran expanded in size throughout the 1800’s, and as it became the industrial centre of the land, it invited more people from the rural areas to go there and find a job. In the beginning of the 20th century, the people revolted against the Kadjar monarchy. This became known as the Constitutional Revolution, lasting from 1905 to 1911. Iran and Teheran have never been the same since.
Following from the example set in the 19th century, the 20th century saw more people flooding into Teheran. With them, they brought ideas: Communistic, Liberal, Nationalistic; ideas of change and revolt, which would form the seeds of another revolution.
The ill-fated monarch was Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who assumed the throne in 1941. His dictatorship, fermented by a coup orchestrated by the CIA and aided by a brutal secret police, was the worst Iran has witnessed. His anti-Islamic, pro-Western, quasi-racist sympathies fuelled the waves of protests that were to follow. When the Ayatollah Khomeini criticised the Shah’s government, he was imprisoned and then exiled. Soon, Teheran became a battleground; its streets were stained in blood and its air filled with cries. These streets today have been renamed, honouring the martyrs of the revolution and the Iran-Iraq war. Khomeini and the people succeeded in 1979 when he triumphantly returned to Teheran to be greeted by several millions.
The battle of ideology still rages on. Since its roots in the 1890’s, Teheran’s constant inner struggle has never ended. Everyone in Teheran today is a revolutionary. The very spirit of her people speaks in revolutionary overtones.
It has often been said of the lack of freedom of speech in the Islamic Republic of Iran. This is a gross mistake. Anyone who has taken a taxi in Teheran before, or has gone to a mosque on a Friday, or has walked the crowded bazaars in the morning knows that Teheran feeds on politics. It is the lifeline of her people. What used to be the favourite pastime of the few in the Shah’s era is now talk of the whole town. If anything, the Islamic Republic of Iran has enlivened political awareness.
That is not to say everyone agrees with the Islamic Republic, as the recent post-election protests show. Yet, the facts, though heavily distorted by Western media, show something else as well: many people, in fact, millions of people from Teheran and outside Teheran do support the Islamic Republic. Proof? The millions who took to the streets on 30th December 2009, calling for an end to the protests.
Teheran is far from divided in all matters; there are common denominators among them: their respect and allegiance to Islam, their love for their land, and interestingly, the Nuclear Energy Program. Iranians have trust in the peaceful nature of their program and are shocked to find foreign nationals worried. They would be quick to point out that Iran has not invaded another country for two centuries; they would also gladly compare this excellent record with the record of, let’s say, the United States.
Teheran is a city of contrast in all dimensions. Her architecture is, as with everything in the city, a fusion of old and new, revolutionary in all is aspects. The Azadi tower and Milad tower are prime examples: modern pieces delicately shaped into Islamic and Persian moulds. The old Parliament stands by the new, with the former exhibiting Ancient Persian motifs and the latter being a work of abstract art. Teheran is also a city of many parks: locals visit them during the evening when the air is cooler, to enjoy the fragrance of the greenery. Another popular spot in Teheran is to its extreme North: half an hour away from the city lies the formidable mountain range. During the summer, it is a favourite for mountain-climbers, but snowy winters attract the skiing community from all over. A country deep in the Middle East with skiing facilities does appear to be an oxymoron, indeed. Though this may well be the case, Teheran rarely misses her annual snow.
As with all Muslim cities, the skies of Teheran ring with the local call to prayer, the Azan, several times each day. Often, businesses close for an hour and people flock to the nearest mosque, giving love, praise and thanks to their God. The city of Teheran is distinctly a revolutionary religious city: paintings on walls and buildings projecting the religious character are surprisingly frequent if one makes it their task to seek them. Devotional prayers and Qur’anic verses decorate the bridges, the roads, the placards and the like. The city is undoubtedly divine. Not far from Teheran stands the golden dome covering the mausoleum of the Ayatollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic. It is situated near the huge cemetery where every Friday, many hundreds flock to visit their dead and pay their respects. The spirituality is awe-inspiring.
The people of Teheran, opposite to all other people in the world, are a dynamic political people. Once every year, Teheran’s main roads are filled with her people, chanting slogans, protesting against Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands. On the 11 February every year, once again Teheran stages rallies commemorating the victory of the Islamic Revolution. Once every year, the people rally in what was once the US embassy to remember, among many things, the coup planned by the CIA to topple the pre-revolutionary democratically-elected Prime Minister. Once every year, the people show their gratitude to their dead who fell as martyrs in the war Saddam imposed on their country. In the June elections, over 80% of those eligible to vote came to the ballot box and cast their vote – something extraordinary by any standard.
One can only conclude that Teheran is the most exciting city of ideas, where East meets West, Marx meets J.S. Mill, Cyrus the Great meets the Holy Prophet (pbuh). To visit Teheran is to enjoy this revolutionary spirit with its divine cadences, and to become politically alive.
Syed Abraham
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