Tehran has grown dramatically since

Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar (; 14 March 1742 – 17 June 1797), also known by his regnal name of Agha Mohammad Shah (), was the founder of the Qajar dynasty of Iran, ruling from 1789 to 1797 as Shah. Originally a chieftain of the Quwanlu branch of t ...

chose it as the capital of the

Qajar dynasty The Qajar family (; 1789–1925) was an Iranian royal family founded by Mohammad Khan (), a member of the Qoyunlu clan of the Turkoman-descended Qajar tribe. The dynasty's effective rule in Iran ended in 1925 when Iran's '' Majlis'', conven ...

in 1796. Despite the occurrence of earthquakes during and before the

Qajar era The Guarded Domains of Iran, alternatively the Sublime State of Iran and commonly called Qajar Iran, Qajar Persia or the Qajar Empire, was the Iranian state under the rule of the Qajar dynasty, which was of Turkic peoples, Turkic origin,Cyrus G ...

, some buildings still remain from Tehran's era of antiquity. However, most of Tehran's historic architecture has been obliterated by a wave of hasty modernisation that has swept the capital over the last 40 to 50 years. Of the eight city gates of old Tehran, none remain today. The Qajar culture flowered into a mature form of vernacular architecture, and many relics today remain of this tradition. Most, however, are government offices and residences of the elite. The Ahmad Shahi Pavilion in the Niavaran Palace Complex is an example of this tradition. Many of the urban designs of modern Tehran are attributed to Victor Gruen. Gruen devised a master plan for many of northern Tehran's neighborhoods between 1963–1967. Many palaces were built and by the late 1970s, Tehran had grown so large that Ray, a former satellite and city in itself, became connected to the ever-expanding "Greater Tehran". Pahlavi architecture tried incorporated themes from European

Modern architecture Modern architecture, also called modernist architecture, or the modern movement, is an architectural movement and style that was prominent in the 20th century, between the earlier Art Deco and later postmodern movements. Modern architectur ...

. The "White House" of Sa'dabad Palace Complex and the main Niavaran Palace are examples of this

architectural style An architectural style is a classification of buildings (and nonbuilding structures) based on a set of characteristics and features, including overall appearance, arrangement of the components, method of construction, building materials used, for ...

. Features of the city include gates and palaces. Despite the chaotic sprawl of Tehran, many designers are gradually incorporating aesthetics in their designs, and international awards have been given to projects in the city.

References

External links

*
Library of Congress on Tehran's Architectural Conference

*
Photos from the changing face of Tehran

''Modernized Iranian architecture in Tehran''
(Video, 6 min 48 sec), Press TV, 26 September 2010.
Tehranimages. Contemporary photos taken in some of the oldest districts of Tehran.
{{Tehran

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

Culture in Tehran Tehran

See also

References

External links