Tourism Information of Tehran Province
Tehran Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran . It covers on area of 18,909 square kilometres (7,301 sq mi) and is located to the north of the central plateau of Iran .
The province was put as part of First Region with its secretariat located in its capital city , Tehran , upon the division of the provinces into 5 regions solely for coordination and development purposes on June 22, 2014 .
Tehran Province is the richest province of Iran as it contributes approximately 29% of the country's GDP . Furthermore , it houses approximately 18% of the country's population . Tehran Province is the most industrialized province in Iran ; 86.5% of its population resides in urban areas and 13.5% of its population resides in rural areas .
The province gained importance when Tehran was claimed the capital by the Qajar dynasty in 1778 . Today , Tehran , with a population of more than 7 million , is ranked amongst the 20 most populous metropolitan cities of the world .
Geography
The province of Tehran has over 12 million inhabitants and is Iran's most densely populated region . Approximately 86.5 percent reside in urban areas and 13.5 percent in rural areas of the province .
The largest rivers of this province are Karaj River and Jajrud River .
Mountain ranges such as The Alborz span the north ; Savad Kooh and Firooz Kooh are located in the north east ; Lavasanat , Qarah Daq , Shemiranat , Hassan Abad and Namak Mountains are in the southern areas ; Bibi Shahr Banoo and Alqadr are situated in the south east and the heights of Qasr-e-Firoozeh being located to the east of the province .
Environmentally , the climate of Tehran province in the southern areas is warm and dry , but in the mountain vicinity is cold and semi-humid , and in the higher regions is cold with long winters . The hottest months of the year are from mid-July to mid-September when temperatures range from 28 °C (82 °F) to 30 °C (86 °F) and the coldest months experience 1 °C (34 °F) around December–January , but at certain times in winter it can reach −15 °C (5 °F) . Tehran city has moderate winters and hot summers . Average annual rainfall is approximately 200 millimetres (7.9 in) , the maximum being during the winter season . On the whole , the province has a semi arid , steppe climate in the south and an alpine climate in the north .
History
Tehran Province has several archeological sites indicating settlements dating back several thousand years . Until 300 years ago , Rey was the most prominent of the cities of the province . However , the city of Tehran rose to become the larger city and capital of Iran by 1778 , and since then has been the political , cultural , economic , and commercial nucleus of Iran .
Tehran has over 1500 historical sites of cultural significance registered with the Cultural Heritage Organization of Iran . The oldest of these in Tehran province are the remains of two sites in Firuzkuh County that date back to the 4th millennium BCE .
Divisions
Tehran Province is sub-divided into fourteen Counties (shahrestan) , listed below with their populations at the 2011 Census :
· Tehran shahrestan
· Damavand shahrestan
· Rey shahrestan
· Shemiranat shahrestan
· Varamin shahrestan
· Shahriar shahrestan
· Eslamshahr shahrestan
· Robatkarim shahrestan
· Pakdasht shahrestan
· Firuzkuh shahrestan
· Qods shahrestan
· Malard shahrestan
· Pishva shahrestan
· Baharestan shahrestan
The counties comprise a number of municipalities :
· Municipalities : Absard , Andisheh , Baghershahr , Baghestan , Boumehen , Chahardangeh , Damavand , Eshtehard , Eslamshahr , Ferdowsieh , Firouzkouh , Garmdarreh , Gharchak , Ghods , Golestan , Shahriar , Javadabad , Hassan Abad , Kahrizak , Kilan , Lavasan , Malard , Nasimshahr , Owshan Fasham Meygoun , Pakdasht , Pardis , Pishva , Robat Karim , Roudehen , Sabashahr , Safadasht , Shahedshahr , Shahriar , Sharifabad , Tehran , Vahidieh , Varamin
Tehran province today
Tehran is the commercial heart of Iran . Tehran province has over 17,000 industrial units employing 390,000 people , 26% of all units in Iran . The province contains 30% of Iran's economy , and comprises 40% of Iran's consumer market . The province has three hydro dams namely Latiyan , Lar , and Amir Kabir as well as two natural lakes , providing the water supply of Tehran and the province .
The province contains 170 mines , over 330 square kilometres of forests , and over 12800 square kilometres of pasture .
Generally speaking , year round , regions such as the southern slopes of the Alborz Mountains , especially in the mountains , valleys , and rivers and artificial lakes formed behind the great dams of Amir Kabir , Latiyan and Lar along with natural lakes of Jaban and Tarr provide considerable recreation for the province .
Moreover , due to excessive snowfall in the northern areas of the province during the winter season , the Alborz mountains form an excellent environment for winter sports such as skiing . Dizin , Shemshak , and Tochal are the most popular skiing resorts .
National Rail Network
The city of Tehran is connected to the North , South , West and East with railway . It has weekly trains for Istanbul . Tehran is the headquarters of RAJA (Iran national railway) . There maybe plans to build high speed railway lines from Tehran to Mashhad and Esfahan .
Tehran Metro
Tehran is served by a system of metro of 3 urban lines (1, 2, 4) and one suburban line (5) serving Karaj and Tehran western suburbs . There are plans to extend the system to 8 urban lines and 4 express suburban lines .
Airports
Tehran Province has two main passenger airports :
· Mehrabad Airport
· Imam Khomeini Airport
It also has numbers of air force bases .
Parks , recreation and other attractions
· Darband hiking trail
· Chitgar Park
· Mellat Park
· Laleh Park
· Jamshidieh Park
· Niavaran Park
· Sa'ei Park
· Shatranj Park
· Tangeh Savashi
· Police Park
· Darabad hiking trail
· Darakeh hiking trail
· Jahan-e Kudak Park
· Azadi Sports complex
· Enghelab Sports Complex and Golf course
· Several caves , springs , and waterfalls outside Tehran
· Latyan Lake
· Lavizan Forest Park
· Vard-Avard Forest Park
· Khajeer National Park
· Kaveer National Park
· Tar Lake
· Amir Kabir Lake
· Lar Protected Natural Habitat
· Varjeen Protected Natural Habitat
Religious centers
Mosques , shrines , mausoleums , and tombs :
· Soltani Mosque , built by Fath Ali Shah
· Atiq Mosque , built in 1663
· Mo'ezz o-dowleh mosque , built by Fath Ali Shah
· Haj Seyd Azizollah mosque , built by Fath Ali Shah
· Al-javad mosque , Iran's first modernist design mosque
· The Old Sepahsalar mosque , another prominent Qajar era mosque
· The new Sepahsalar mosque (Madreseh e Motahari)
· Filsuf o-dowleh Mosque , Qajar era
· Moshir ol-Saltaneh Mosque , Qajar era
· Mo'ayyer ol-Mamalik Mosque , Qajar era
· Shahr Banu Mausopleum
· Javan-mard Qassab Mausoleum , a pre-Islamic semi-mythical hero
· Dozens of Imam-zadeh shrines , hundreds of years old , including that of Imam Zadeh Saleh
· Dozens of Saqa Khanehs : traditional places of prayer
· Several Tekyehs : traditional places for mourning Muharram ceremonies for Husayn ibn Ali
· Ebn-e Babooyeh cemetery , where numerous Iranian figures , such as Takhti and Ali Akbar Dehkhoda , are buried
· Zahir o-dowleh cemetery , housing the tombs of art and cultural figures such as Iraj Mirza , Mohammad Taghi Bahar , Forough Farrokhzad , Abolhasan Saba , Ruhollah Khaleghi , and Darvish-khan are buried
· Kordan Tomb , Seljuqi era , Karaj
· Maydanak Tomb , 13th century , Karaj
· The Polish cemetery north of Tehran , where numerous Western Allied soldiers of World War II are buried
Religious centers
Mosques , shrines , mausoleums , and tombs :
· Soltani Mosque , built by Fath Ali Shah
· Atiq Mosque , built in 1663
· Mo'ezz o-dowleh mosque , built by Fath Ali Shah
· Haj Seyd Azizollah mosque , built by Fath Ali Shah
· Al-javad mosque , Iran's first modernist design mosque
· The Old Sepahsalar mosque , another prominent Qajar era mosque
· The new Sepahsalar mosque (Madreseh e Motahari)
· Filsuf o-dowleh Mosque , Qajar era
· Moshir ol-Saltaneh Mosque , Qajar era
· Mo'ayyer ol-Mamalik Mosque , Qajar era
· Shahr Banu Mausopleum
· Javan-mard Qassab Mausoleum , a pre-Islamic semi-mythical hero
· Dozens of Imam-zadeh shrines , hundreds of years old , including that of Imam Zadeh Saleh
· Dozens of Saqa Khanehs : traditional places of prayer
· Several Tekyehs : traditional places for mourning Muharram ceremonies for Husayn ibn Ali
· Ebn-e Babooyeh cemetery , where numerous Iranian figures , such as Takhti and Ali Akbar Dehkhoda , are buried
· Zahir o-dowleh cemetery , housing the tombs of art and cultural figures such as Iraj Mirza , Mohammad Taghi Bahar , Forough Farrokhzad , Abolhasan Saba , Ruhollah Khaleghi , and Darvish-khan are buried
· Kordan Tomb , Seljuqi era , Karaj
· Maydanak Tomb , 13th century , Karaj
· The Polish cemetery north of Tehran , where numerous Western Allied soldiers of World War II are buried