Iran

Tehran is Iran’s capital and largest city, the seat of the presidency and parliament, set at the foot of the Alborz Mountains near Mount Damavand. It has been the political center since the late 18th century, when the Qajar dynasty chose it as capital, and remains the country’s economic and cultural hub. Don’t be fooled by the other famous cities: Isfahan was a Safavid capital known for blue-tiled domes, Shiraz was the Zand capital and home of poets Hafez and Saadi, and Mashhad is a major pilgrimage city for the Imam Reza shrine. Memory tip: Iran and Tehran rhyme and both end in “-ran,” and the capital stands out by its iconic towers—Azadi and Milad—symbols you’ll often see in images of modern Iran.