Tehran: Golestan Palace and the Grand Bazaar

Capital of Iran at the foot of the Alborz Mountains, Tehran holds the treasures of the Qajar dynasty alongside one of the Middle East's oldest bazaars.

The subway remains the fastest way to cross the city.

The Golestan Palace, UNESCO site, a Qajar royal residence decorated with mirrors and polychrome tiles, remains the most precious monumental complex of the historic center.

A few minutes away, the Grand Bazaar of Tehran, among the largest in the Middle East, animates the commerce of Persian carpets, spices, and jewelry for centuries.

Continuing northward, one reaches the Milad Tower, among the world's tallest telecommunication towers, with a panoramic view of the Iranian capital.

Toward evening, the Tajrish district animates its own traditional bazaar at the foot of the northern mountains.

The Golestan Palace, seat of the Qajar court for over a century, houses the Peacock Throne and a collection of Persian royal jewels among the world's most precious, now visitable by international tourists.

The Grand Bazaar of Tehran, with over ten kilometers of covered corridors, remains an economic and social center of Iran's capital since the Qajar period of the nineteenth century.