Tehran Off The Beaten Path

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Close to 1 million people were killed during the Iran-Iraq war, and 200,000 of them are buried here, as well as ordinary people. The graves with flags denote the Martyrs – those who died for their country fighting in the war. Ordinary civilians are those graves without flags.

On some of the flags you can see certain figures: the white doves on the green part denote freedom, whereas the white tulips on the red cloth symbolise martyrs.

Some as young as 14 (picture 4) were killed whilst defending their country.

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The Behesht-e Zahra Cemetery is the largest cemetery fro those who lost their lives during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988). It was quite eerie to visit as the whole cemetery was empty apart from one small grave in one section when hysterical mourners were paying homage to a lost one.

The cemetery is known as the Paradise of Fatemah.

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The huge banner hanging from the ceiling in picture one shows the pictures (from top to bottom) of Imam Khomeini, Imam Khameini (the current Ayatollah) and Khomeini’s son. Picture two shows women praying and paying homage to their great leader in the women only area. The Khomeini is still revered by many as the greatest leader ever! He was born on the 24th September 1902. He studied the Quran at the medressa in Qom and became the Ayatollah on March 31st 1931. He was arrested in 1963 after the Shah announced his ‘reforms’, but was released in 1964. In 1978 he was deported and settled in Paris. The following year, after the Shah left Iran, Khomeini returned to Qom. He died in 1989 after a short illness. He is probably most well known for launching the cultural revolution of Iran.

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There is a massive hall, with a glass ‘cask’ (see picture one) inside which lies the bodies of Khomeini and his son (see picture two). The crypt is shrouded in a green colour (picture three) and many pilgrims will push money and prayer stones through the small openings within the tomb (see pictures four and five). The money is used once a year on the Khomeini’s birthday to distribute food to the poor in the area. The prayer stones supposedly come from Karbala in Iraq – a place sacred to many Muslims.

The huge area is full of families enjoying picnics and generally making a great day out of it. It was the Khomeini’s wish that his mausoleum should be a place for the everyday people where they could enjoy themselves rather than a religious shrine along the lines of a mosque where people felt they had to behave with reverence.

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We first saw the Imam Khomeini Mausoleum in the dark on the way from the airport when we arrived. We were oooh-ing and awwwhhh-ing to ourselves in the back seat of the taxi, and the taxi driver – who was very eager to please but didn’t speak much English – tried to explain to us what it was with the words: “Khomeini dead”. It made sense. (picture one)

Going back to see it during the day, the mausoleum was not so impressive from the outside (see picture two), in fact it looked rather like a building site (the mausoleum is still not finished – see picture three), but inside it was an amazing experience.

Men and women go through different entrances (see picture four), and the security is very strict following a bomb 16 years ago where the shrine was partly destroyed by the Mujahadeen. There is X-rays like you’d get at the airport, and mobile phones / radios are not permitted inside. Cameras, however, are allowed and photography inside is not a problem. Inside there are also women only prayer areas (see picture five). We chatted to a few of the women there, and they were telling us that they come every year for a pilgrimage.

Housed in a stunning modern building, is one of the most surprising places in Tehran - the Museum of Contemporary Art. With a wide -ranging collection featuring many modern masters - Monet, Pissaro, Picasso, Giacometti and many more - this is a world-class gallery.

And Mick Jagger? The gallery owns 4 Warhol prints of him.

Open 0900 -1900 daily except Fridays when the galley closes at 1400

Kagar-e Shomali Avenue, west of Laleh Park

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Modern masterpieces of sculpture are also held by the Museum of Contemporary Art. An atrium court inside the galley has works by Giacometti, Margritte and Marini on permanent display while an extensive garden area to the north of the building is where you will see works by Calder, Moore, Man Ray , Christo and other major sculptors of the 20th Century.

The Museum and its Sculpture Garden are well worth visiting, both for the works themselves and also as a demonstration that Iran is not only about history and religion, but is a country that holds many surprises for the visitor.

The Reza Abbasi Museum has a small but fine collection that illustrates the very best of Persian arts over a span of 4000 years. The museum is housed in a modern building in a busy street, you could pass it by and not know what it really was. Inside is a treasure trove, beautifully laid out and lit, and of a size that is easy to absorb. From the earliest Luristan bronzes, through wonderfully wrought fine metal work and jewellery, exquisite calligraphy and miniatures, glowing tiles and porcelain wares to intricately woven textiles, everything speaks of the refined approach to his craft that was the pride of these artisans of the past.

The museum is open from 0900 -1200 and 1300 -1600 and is closed on Mondays.

Pol-e Seyed Khandan, Shari'ati Ave