Tehran

Tehran (/tɛəˈræn, -ˈrɑːn, ˌteɪ-/; Persian: تهران Tehrân [tehˈɾɒːn] ⓘ) is the capital and largest city of Iran, also serving as the capital of the Province, County and the Central District. With a population of around 9.4 million in the city, and 16.8 million in the metropolitan area, Tehran is the most populous city in Iran and Western Asia, the second-largest metropolitan area in the West Asia, and the 24th most populous metropolitan area in the world. Greater Tehran includes several municipalities, including "New Town of Andisheh", "Islam Shahr", "Shahreh Qods", "Shahryar", "Pakdasht", "Firooz Kooh" and "Shamiran".

Settlement in Tehran dates back over 6,000 years, with the name was first mentioned in historical accounts in an 11 th-century chronicle as a small village in the north of ancient Ray, a prominent Median city.[6] Ray was later absorbed into the metropolitan area of Greater Tehran. The city was first chosen as the capital of Iran by Agha Mohammad Khan of the Qajar Empire in 1786, because of its proximity to Iran's territories in the Caucasus, then separated from Iran in the Russo-Iranian Wars, to avoid the vying factions of the previously ruling Iranian dynasties. The capital has been moved several times throughout history, however, and Tehran became the nation's 32nd capital. Large-scale construction works began in the 1920s, and Tehran became a destination for mass migrations from all over Iran since the 20th century.[7]

Tehran is home to countless historical sites, including the royal complexes of Golestan, Sa'dabad, and Niavaran, where the last two dynasties of Iran were seated. Tehran's landmarks include the Azadi Tower, a memorial built under the reign of Mohammad Reza of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1971 to mark the 2,500th anniversary of the Persian Empire, the Milad Tower, the world's sixth-tallest self-supporting tower, completed in 2007, and the Tabiat Bridge, completed in 2014.[8]

Most of the population are Persian, with roughly 99% of them speaking the Persian language, alongside other ethnolinguistic groups in the city which became Persianized and assimilated.[9][10][11]

Tehran is served by Imam Khomeini International Airport, alongside the domestic Mehrabad Airport, a central railway station, Tehran Metro, a bus rapid transit system, trolleybuses, and a large network of highways.

According to the Global Destinations Cities Index in 2016, Tehran is among the top-10 fastest growing destinations.[12] In 2016, Tehran City Council declared October 6 the Tehran Day, celebrating the date when the city officially became the capital of Iran in 1786.[13]