"Tehran - The Throbbing Heart of Iran " a Tehran Travel Page by JohnniOmani

Tehran is a massive city and city that receives bad press on the international scene. The city has great museums and the people make this city well worth it. If you can overcome the 14 million residents and the smog , then Tehran won't disappoint. With its relatively short history, concrete and smog, and manic streets flowing with cars, many people say there is no reason to hang around the capital city. But if you listen to them you will miss out, Tehran is indisputably its big, loud, chaotic, vibrant and ugly beating heart. This city of 14 million is where change happened first. Politcally and socially it's Iran's cutting edge, and from the bold fashion statements of its youth to the range of restaurants, as a visitor you cant help but notice. Tehran's saving grace included a decent choice of hotels and restaurants a class above what you will find anywhere else in Iran. Tehran is a city that is loved or hated. I loved it !

More than any other building in Tehran or Iran, events stemming from the former US embassy in Tehran have had a dramatic and profound influence on the recent history of the country and Middle East. From a bunker below the embassy, CIA operatives in the early 50s orchestrated a coup that brought down the government of Mossadegh. The following 25 years , the US supported and influenced Mohammed Reza until he was pushed out of power. Fearing a repeat performance students stormed the embassy and took 53 US diplomats hostage for 444 days. The rest is history. Today, the former embassy is used by a local milita group that is dedicated to defending the revolution. On the walls outside you can see the Down with the USA sign, and at the entrance you can still see the damaged embassy logo (eagle). All along Taleqani Ave are striking murals stating that the USA/Israel are evil. Fascinating.

I thought the National Museum was a fascinating place and a great introduction to the country. The postal museum really put things in perspective with this postal box used during the Iran/Iraq war during the 1980's. The country was devasted in more ways than one realizes and the war left psychological scars that are obviously not easy to forget especially for the seniors of the country. It is interesting to see a country that was devasted, now isolated yet optimistic about the future.