Tehran Tours Popular

Touted as the financial and political capital of Iran, Tehran was never promoted as a holiday destination.

Tours of Tehran were only held during long holidays, such as the two-week Norouz (Iranian New Year) celebrations in late March and the summer.

However, that trend is gradually changing, according to the head of Tourism Headquarters at Tehran Municipality.

"We've taken measures in recent months to promote Tehran tours by setting up tourism information offices in community centers across the city," Houshyar Parsian was also quoted as saying by SNN.

According to the official, tours offering visits to Old Tehran and the city's three famous towers are most popular among tourists.

  Three Towers

The Three Towers Tour—locally called "Tour-e Seh Borj"—comprises visits to Milad Tower, Azadi Tower and Tughrul Tower.

Standing at 435 meters, Milad Tower in West Tehran is the tallest structure in the country and the sixth-tallest free-standing telecommunications tower in the world. Construction on the site officially began in 2000 and ended in 2007, but the tower was inaugurated a year later.

The 12-floor multipurpose structure is home to an observation deck, a revolving restaurant, and a sky dome, apart from various TV, radio and traffic control sections.

While some officials want to present Milad Tower as the symbol of Tehran, most people consider Azadi Tower as the city's icon.

Also located in West Tehran, Azadi (Persian for liberty) was built in 1971.

With its white marble exterior, the 45-meter tower's iconic shape (resembling an inverted Y) is a blend of 1960s architecture with traditional Iranian influences.

The structure, which houses a museum, was closed to public following the 1979 Islamic Revolution but reopened in 2006.

Tughrul Tower is a 12th-century monument located in Shahr-e Rey in southern Tehran. The 20-meter tall brick tower is the tomb of Seljuk ruler Tughrul Beg who died in 1063.

The tower had a conical dome, which would have added to its height but collapsed during an earthquake.

Experts believe that the building also functioned as a clock and one could tell the time of the day from the shape of sunlight on its knurls.

  Old Tehran

Tours of Old Tehran take tourists to the historical textures of the capital, which is mostly in the city's District 12.

Comprising large sections of Tehran's center-south, Old Tehran includes key historical structures such as Dar-ol-Fonoun, the country's first modern institution of higher education built in 1851, and Golestan Palace, a world heritage site built in the mid-16th century and renovated later in the late 18th century.

Tehran's famed Grand Bazaar and the National Museum of Iran are other important sites of attraction in Old Tehran.