Tehran

Tehran has lots and lots of cars.

Trains run under the ground. Cable cars carry people up the mountain to ski and play.

Tehran is famous for heavy traffic. Its underground train network took more than 20 years to build and opened its first lines at the start of the 2000s, and a network of highways runs through the city.

A long main road, including Valiasr Boulevard, runs from the south of the city all the way to the north. From the northern edge, a series of cable cars carries people up the Tochal ridge to a popular ski and recreation area.

Congestion makes crossing Tehran a challenge. An underground rail network, under construction for more than 20 years and disrupted by revolution, war and lack of funds, opened its first lines at the start of the 21st century; highway building resumed after the ceasefire of the late 1980s. Britannica notes that expanding housing and transport has often damaged the fabric of the old city.

The city is organized along axes: a primary north-south axis, including Valiasr Boulevard, links the south with the northernmost districts, and a secondary east-west axis along Enqelab Street crosses it at right angles, echoing the four-gated cities and quartered chahār bāgh gardens of Iranian tradition. Cable cars connect the city to the Tochal ski area.

Tehran has hot, dry summers.

Winters are cold, with freezing nights. Snow covers the mountains. Almost no rain falls in summer.

Tehran has a hot, dry climate, but it still has four seasons. In July, days average about 37 °C and nights about 24 °C. In January, days average about 7 °C and nights about −1 °C.

Only about 230 millimeters of rain and snow falls in a year, mostly from November to April; from June to September, almost none falls. The Alborz Mountains block damp air from the Caspian Sea, and the north of the city is cooler and greener than the south.

World Meteorological Organization normals for 1961–1990 at the Tehran-Mehrabad station give mean daily maxima and minima of 7.2 °C and −1.1 °C in January and 36.8 °C and 24.0 °C in July. Monthly totals add up to about 230 mm, with 34–37 mm a month from December to March and under 3 mm a month from June to September.

Britannica describes a hot, arid climate with a very long summer yet four distinct seasons, extremes of about 43 °C and −15 °C, and some 48 frost days a year; the Alborz keeps out Caspian humidity. Mountains and low rainfall also trap air pollution: for two-thirds of the year, pollutants from fuel are held beneath a dome of warm air.

Persian cooking uses saffron and lime, and rice is cooked in a special way.

Some dishes mix meat with fruit and nuts. Children visit a museum full of beautiful carpets. In winter, people ride cable cars up to ski.

Tehran is a young city: at the end of the 1900s, the average person there was about 31 years old. Many families came from other parts of Iran, so the city mixes many peoples and languages, though Persian is the main language.

Persian cooking uses lime and saffron, mixes meats with fruits and nuts, and has its own special way of cooking rice; its spices are gentle and delicate. Families visit the National Museum of Iran, which shows the country's ancient past, and the Carpet Museum of Iran, which shows masterpieces of carpet weaving.

Tehran is dominated by Persian language and culture, though its people include Azerbaijanis, Kurds, Turkmen, Arabs, Lurs and Baloch; most residents are Shiʿi Muslims, with Christian, Jewish and Zoroastrian minorities. Services employ almost two-thirds of the workforce, and the city is Iran's economic center, home to about one-fifth of its firms.

Traditional arts such as calligraphy and music have seen a revival. The Tehran Symphony Orchestra performs at home and abroad, the Fajr International Theater Festival is held each year, and Iran's internationally recognized film industry is based here. Museums include the National Museum of Iran (ancient heritage), the Carpet Museum of Iran and the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art. Persian cuisine is subtly spiced, with lime, saffron, meats blended with fruits and nuts, and a distinctive way of cooking rice.