Iran - Andrew Burke [83]
The telecabin is busy on Friday but can be virtually empty other days. You can buy one-way/return tickets to whichever station you want. The first stop is Station 2 (IR15,000/30,000, 12 minutes one way), then Station 5 (IR30,000/45,000, 25 minutes), where there is an easy ski run, and it finishes at freezing Station 7 (IR55,000/80,000, 25 minutes), from where a Poma chairlift links to Tochal Hotel. From there, a T-bar works the short runs and a Doppel Mayr lift goes to the mountain summit. It’s possible to ski down from Station 7 to Station 5, assuming there is enough snow. Skis can be rented at Station 7. Prices here are for weekends; it’s IR5000 or more cheaper each way on weekdays. Ski passes are IR60,000/80,000 per weekday/weekend, sold at Station 1.
While the telecabin runs fairly limited hours, you can choose to torture your thighs and climb the mountain at any time, as locals like to do on Fridays. Teahouses at the stations will help to ease your recovery.
Getting There & Away
From the northern side of Tajrish Sq, ask for a shuttle taxi (IR2000) to Tochal Telecabin. From the entrance you can walk (10 minutes) or catch a bus (IR1000) to the telecabin ticket office.
REZA ABBASI MUSEUM
Named after one of the great artists of the Safavid period, the Reza Abbasi Museum (Map; 8851 3002; www.rezaabbasimuseum.ir; 972 Shariati Ave; admission IR5000; 9am-4.45pm Tue-Sat) showcases Iranian art from ancient times and the Safavid-era paintings of Abbasi himself. If you like Iranian art, it’s one of the best and most professionally run museums in the country. The museum is organised chronologically starting with the top-floor Pre-Islamic Gallery, where you’ll find Achaemenid gold bowls, drinking vessels, armlets and decorative pieces, often with exquisite carvings of bulls and rams. Here, too, you’ll find fine examples of Lorestan bronzes (see the boxed text). The middle-floor Islamic Gallery exhibits ceramics, fabrics and brassware, while the ground-floor Painting Gallery shows samples of fine calligraphy from ancient Qurans and illustrated manuscripts, particularly copies of Ferdosi’s Shahnamah and Sa’di’s Golestan.
To reach the museum you can take a shuttle taxi from the junction of Shariati and Enqelab Aves, but not all of them continue as far north as this so you might be better going by private taxi. Alternatively, take Metro Line 1 to Mosalla and then a shuttle taxi down the Resalat Expressway to Shariati Ave.
AZADI TOWER (BORJ-E AZADI)
Way out west at the end of Azadi Ave is the inverted Y-shaped Azadi Tower (Borj-e Azadi or Freedom Tower; Map; Azadi Sq; admission IR6000; 8am-noon & 2-6pm Sun-Fri), built to commemorate the 2500th anniversary of the Persian Empire in 1971. After being closed for years the underground gallery, Quran museum, cinema and, best of all, the viewing platform finally reopened in 2006.
Like the City Theatre, Carpet Museum and Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, the 50m-high structure is a mix of ’60s modern architecture with traditional Iranian influences, such as the iwan-style of the arch. The exterior is clad with more than 8000 cut stones, while inside you can see architect Hossein Amanat’s complex structural engineering in concrete. The park surrounding the monument is a relative oasis compared with the surrounding maelstrom of traffic. It was the scene of much protest during the 1979 revolution and remains a focal point for (progovernment) demonstrations today.
You can reach the top by stairs or lift, and will probably be accompanied. To get here, take a bus or shuttle taxi west and ask for ‘Azadi’ or take Metro line 2 (dark blue) to Azadi and walk from there.
Milad Tower (Borj-e Milad)
Ten years in the making, Milad Tower (Borj-e Milad; Map; www.miladtowertehran.com)