Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the embassy building, CIA operatives orchestrated a coup d'état in 1953 that brought
down the government of Mohammad Mossadegh (
Click here
)
.
For the next 25 years, US support for and influence over Mohammad Reza Shah was
implemented largely from this building. When the shah was finally pushed out, students
who feared a repeat of the 1953 coup stormed the embassy and held 52 diplomats hostage
for 444 days (
Click here
)
. The rest - the birth of the Islamic Republic and the rise of fun-
damentalism throughout the region - is history.
Today, the former embassy is known as the
US Den of Espionage
and is used by the
Sepah militia, a hardline group dedicated to defending the revolution. The interior of the
chancery is preserved as a museum, with exhibits including incriminating documents that
were painstakingly pieced back together after being shredded as the embassy was being
taken over. Unfortunately, it's rarely open to the public - usually only from 1 to 10 Febru-
ary.
Despite this, the embassy's colourful history and more colourful murals along the front
wall mean most travellers come for a look. The murals pronounce the evil of the 'Great
Satan' (the USA) and Israel, including one in which the face of the Statue of Liberty is
rendered as a skull. There's no sign saying you can't take pictures of these highly photo-
genic walls but be discreet. We've photographed the wall several times without trouble,
but on one occasion we were briefly apprehended before persuading our half-hearted
captors that we were just dumb tourists.
The
Shohada Museum
(Martyrs' Museum;
Click here
;
cnr Taleqani Ave & Forsat St;
9am-4pm Sat-Thu; Taleqani)
, diagonally opposite the US Den of Espionage, ex-
hibits memorabilia and accompanying stories of martyrs from the Iran-Iraq War.
Park-e Lalehهلا کراپ
(Keshavarz Blvd)
Near the centre of Tehran,
Park-e Laleh
is one of those places that is
more than the sum of its parts - a well-designed green space that because of its location
amid so much traffic becomes an urban oasis. As you wander through, perhaps on your
way to the adjoining Carpet Museum or Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, keep an
eye out for young Tehranis refining their flirting techniques over soft-serve ice creams.
It's a great place for people-watching.
PARK
