grasswire

On the day we were leaving Teheran, you could see a thin layer of snow on the mountains above the city and this cold and crystal clear morning, as the clouds cleared away, the Alps were covered in snow. But this is as far as one can compare Kamnik and Teheran, a town of less than 15.000 with a roaring metropolis of 15 million people.
In brief, the strongest impression of the city is definitely made by the chaotic traffic, where a couple of million cars disregard any traffic rules and where traffic signs appear as mere urban decoration. Lonely planet’s advice on taking a taxi across the city with telling a driver that you are in a hurry is a definite highlight of the city, though you can experience high levels of adrenaline even with a “normal” drive. And then, after few days, there is an incredible sensation of getting used to the “drive as I please” mode. The sprawling city inevitably has some other highlights, such as the tranquility of parks and palaces, the glittering of the shah’s jewels or urban oases around apartment buildings. And the buzz of the downtown or uptown streets will definitely reveal more colourful dress code than in other cities across Iran.
Some pics:
- some more chaotic traffic
- White palace
- urban oases
- downtown (South Teheran)
- uptown (North Teheran)