Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Ayatollah Beheshti
Founded the Islamic Republic Party (IRP) in 1979. He took part in the negotiations over the US
embassy hostages but was killed a year later by a bomb planted in IRP headquarters by the Mojahedin Khalq Organ-
isation (MKO).
Ayatollah Taleqani
A much-admired cleric who was repeatedly exiled and later tortured by the last shah. He led the
first Friday prayers after the revolution but died soon afterwards.
Amir Kabir
This was the nickname of Mirza Taghi Khan, a reformist prime minister (from 1848 to 1851) who was
executed on the orders of his jealous shah in Fin Gardens near Kashan.
Dr Ali Shariati
Returned to Iran from France in 1964 with a doctorate in sociology from the Sorbonne. He com-
bined radical political thought with socially conscious traditionalism and became an inspiration to many women.
Barred from teaching, he went to England in 1977, but was found dead in his apartment three weeks later - al-
legedly a victim of the shah's secret police.
Ayatollah Morteza Motahhari
Was a close confidant of Ayatollah Khomeini who railed against communism and
the effect it would have on Islam. He became president of the Constitutional Council after the revolution, but was
assassinated by a rival Islamic group in May 1979.
Streets named for revolutionaries and Islamic phrases include Valiasr, which means 'Prince of this Time' and is a
nickname for Mahdi, the 12th imam; Azadi, which translates to 'freedom'; Jomhuri-ye Eslami, which means 'Islam-
ic Republic'; and Enqelab, Farsi for 'revolution'. For more on these and other Iranian figures, see
www.iranchamber.com
and follow the links through History to Historic Personalities.
Next up, the tiny
Talar-e Almas
(Diamond Hall)
displays a range of decorative arts -
especially 18th- and 19th-century French ceramics - in a room with red walls and a tiled
floor. The attractive
teahouse
underneath might well be more appealing.
After wandering back through the gardens you'll come to the
Ethnographical Mu-
seum
near the main entrance, featuring a range of mannequins in traditional ethnic cos-
tumes.
PARK
Park-e Shahrرهش کراپ
If you're staying in southern Tehran and need a break from the traffic, head straight for
Park-e Shahr where you can go ice skating (when it's cold enough), take a boat trip on the
tiny lake (in summer) and enjoy tea or qalyan year-round at the laid-back Sofre Khane
Sonnati Sangalag (
Click here
)
teahouse. Or just sit and relax watching Tehranis relaxing.
National Museum of Iranناتساب ناريا هزوم) ناريا يلم هزوم)
This modest
museum
(Iran Bastan Museum;
Click here
;
6670 2061-6;
www.nationalmuseumofiran.ir
;
Si Tir St; admission US$1; 9am-5pm Tue-Sun;
Imam Khomeini)
is no Louvre, but it is chock-full of Iran's rich history. Designed by
French architect André Godard and completed in 1928, it's one of the more attractive
MUSEUM
