October 25th, 2003 | The lowdown by Nema Milaninia

Tehran: The White City

Iran is a country infamous in the press for negative attributes, which usually relate to political issues. I don’t plan on confirming any suspicions about whether Iran harbors nuclear weapons, nor discussing if the countries politicians support terrorism. If traveling depended solely on the moral character of a countries leadership then we might as well adapt strategies akin to Thoreau. No, instead my discussion here will rest solely on a city that has been lost in modern day politics but deserves a chair alongside the greatest of metropolitan cities. Tehran, the capitol of Iran, is located along the base of the Alborz mountains, built such that the buildings which dot the mountain side and spill into the valley seem like drops of snow which are so representative of its mountains. My first encounter with Tehran was when I was a child, but when I returned after several years I noticed something about its greatness which is probably best captured by Tolkien’s description of the human city of Minas Tirith:
“Pippin gazed in growing wonder at the great stone city, vaster and more splendid than anything he had ever dreamed of; greater and stronger than Isengard, and far more beautiful...Even as he gazed in wonder the walls passed from looming grey to white, blushing faintly in the dawn; and suddenly the sun climbed over the eastern shadow and sent forth a shaft that smote the face of the city. Then Pippin cried aloud, for the Tower of Ecthelion, standing high within the topmost wall, shone out against the sky, glimmering like a spike of pearl and silver, tall and fair and shapely, and its pinnacle glittered as if it were wrought of crystals; and white banners broke and fluttered from the battlements in the morning breeze, and high and far he heard a clear ringing as of silver trumpets.” Tehran as well is best described as the “white city.” Its structures and vast parks, corporate buildings and rural roads, residential sections and even its famous mosques all give the impression that the city has been covered by a white blanket. The winter snow causes this effect to a certain extreme. However, just like the buildings in New York are monumental a statue of steel and glass, Tehran is composed of similar beings bathed in white. But I digress.

I’ve read before, and I believe it was in Lonely Planet, that the most amazing thing about Tehran is its museums. Wherein I don’t deny that Iranian museums are amazing and certainly reflect the depth and culture of its people, I would nevertheless disagree with LP’s description. To me, the most fascinating this about Tehran is undoubtedly its people. It is always the people that shape the city. Even in Cairo where I currently study, it is the people, not the pyramids or the desert that are wonders of the world. We often forget that structures and buildings are manifestations of culture and sociology. As such Tehran as a city, just as in Cairo, can only be really understood by interacting with its population. To be sure, the diversity of Tehran life reflects the current internal political climate. Most westerners, particularly Americans, become shocked to learn that Tehran is mostly composed of liberal thinkers, in every sense. Its mosques are filled with clerics who are systematically preaching the equality of human rights in Islam, its students demonstrate for civil and political rights, while the streets are lined with advocates for social advancements and economic relief. A half an hour walk down any street will bring you across mullahs, professors, poets who are taxi drivers, singers who are homeless, and students in intense political discussion. A friend of mine in Tehran once said that the two major positive contributions from the 1979 Revolution was the rebirth of art and political discussion in Iran. While both are fervently suppressed in Tehran, they nonetheless learn how to create avenues to flourish. Cinema in particular has become a famous venue for social awareness and political discussion amongst Iranians in Tehran. Thursday nights at any cinema will be packed with all branches of people, old young, conservative and liberal. It is such that Iranian cinema has not only become a reflection of the Iranian people, but similarly a conduit for Iranian voices.

There is one more thing worth stressing to the visitor or tourist. If you wish to see the country’s natural, cultural, political and modern beauty one must visit its parks. There are various parks located around the city and each harbors particular social and economic groups depending on where in Tehran they are located. In the least, however, each park can be characterized by amazing attention to botanical detail while harboring vast displays of its modern population, namely its youth. The parks and mountain trails in Iran have become famous get-aways for people to discuss, dress, and engage openly.

Thus, beyond the political rhetoric exists a city neglected from the attention it deserves. The white city of Tehran is probably one of the most dynamic places in the modern world but fails to draw sufficient attention because of undeserved fears. I have therefore one message to those who remain hesitant. Remember that after 9/11 it was the Iranians in Tehran who spilled on to the streets to hold a candlelight vigil for its victims. Remember that it is the current Iran whose people are so reminiscent of the freedom fighters of the 18th century. Lastly, remember that it is a country’s people that will shape its future.