Tehran
The Tehran Grand Bazaar Bazaaris Financing Both the 1905 Constitutional Revolution and the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Mount Damavand the Highest Volcano in Asia at 5,610m & the Tochal Gondola the Highest Gondola-Served Skiing Area in the World
The Tehran Grand Bazaar bazaaries financing the Tobacco Protest (1891), Constitutional Revolution (1905–1911), and 1979 Islamic Revolution — the October 1978 bazaar strike as the decisive blow ending the Shah's rule; Mount Damavand (5,610m) as the highest volcano in Asia and highest peak in the Islamic world; the Tochal gondola (3,900m terminus) as the highest gondola-served skiing area in the world 45 minutes from central Tehran; the Cyrus Cylinder (539 BCE) permitting exiled Jews to return to Jerusalem (often cited as the first human rights declaration); the Salt Man from the Chehrabad mine preserved since 500 BCE; and Iran producing 90% of the world's saffron.
The Atash Bahram Sacred Fire in Yazd Burning Continuously Since 470 CE (1,500+ Years), Zoroastrianism Influencing the Jewish Heaven Hell Angels Devil and Messiah Concepts & the 1639 Treaty of Zuhab Still Defining the Iran-Iraq Border Today
The Zoroastrian sacred fire in Yazd burning continuously since 470 CE (1,500 years); Zoroastrian theological inventions (Last Judgement, Heaven and Hell, Angels, the Devil, the Messiah) influencing Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; the 1639 Treaty of Zuhab between Safavid Persia and Ottoman Turkey still largely defining the modern Iran-Iraq border; 25–30% of standard Turkish vocabulary being Persian loanwords; the Shah Mosque dome (42m, 7-color tile mosaic) as the supreme achievement of Persian mosque architecture; and Tehran rewarding logistical preparation with authentic interactions unspoiled by mass tourism.
The Bazaaris Funding the Tobacco Protest, Constitutional Revolution, Mosaddegh's Oil Nationalization AND the 1979 Revolution, Damavand's Zahhak Prophecy Paralleling Norse Ragnarok & 70% of Iranian Internet Users on VPN Daily
The bazaaris financing the Tobacco Protest (1891), Constitutional Revolution (1905), Oil Nationalization (1951), and 1979 Revolution — the only merchant class in history to back four consecutive regime changes; Damavand's Zahhak prophecy (the chained serpent king will escape the volcano at the end of time) paralleling Norse Ragnarok; 70% of Iranian internet users using VPN daily — the highest per-capita VPN usage rate in the world; the Iranian Jewish community the oldest continuous diaspora in the world (2,700+ years since Cyrus 539 BCE); Tabriz Bazaar the world's largest covered brick bazaar (9.5 km²) with UNESCO inscription; and Tehran air pollution causing 4,500–5,000 premature deaths annually.
The Sizdah Bedar 13th-Day Nowruz Picnic the Largest Single-Day Outdoor Migration of Any City in the World, the Fin Garden UNESCO Walled Paradise Garden Built 1590 & Iran Enriching Uranium to 60% After the 2018 US JCPOA Withdrawal
The Sizdah Bedar exodus where the entire population of Tehran leaves for a single-day nature picnic — the largest single-day outdoor migration of any city in the world; the Fin Garden at Kashan (UNESCO) built 1590 under Shah Abbas I as the finest surviving traditional Persian walled garden; the JCPOA Trump withdrawal in 2018 leading Iran to enrich uranium to 60% (weapons grade requires 90%); the Charshanbe Suri fire-jumping chant zardi-e man az toh sorkhi-e toh az man; the Fordow enrichment plant built inside a mountain 90m underground to withstand bombing; and Tehran restaurant meals at USD 2–4 at the unofficial exchange rate.
Asghar Farhadi the Only Director to Win Two Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film, the Achaemenid Empire at 44% of the World's Population in 480 BCE & the 2022 Mahsa Amini Protests the Largest Iranian Civil Unrest Since 1979
Asghar Farhadi winning Academy Awards for A Separation (2011) and The Salesman (2016) — the only director to win Best Foreign Language Film twice; the Achaemenid Empire controlling 44% of the world's estimated population of 112 million in 480 BCE; the Mahsa Amini Woman Life Freedom uprising (September 2022) killing approximately 500 protesters; Iranian women at 60% of university enrollment (highest in the Middle East) despite legal restrictions; the Hafez divan used throughout the Persian-speaking world for bibliomancy (fal-e Hafez); and Kiarostami's long-take aesthetic influencing world cinema after Tarkovsky.
The TMoCA Collection the Most Valuable Western Modernist Art Outside Europe and North America, the Pahlavi Shah's Books Left in Place the Day He Fled in 1979 & the Behesht-e Zahra Cemetery Containing 200,000+ Iran-Iraq War Dead
The TMoCA holding Picassos, Warhols, Bacons, and Pollocks — the most valuable Western modernist art collection outside Europe and North America (purchased before 1979); Mohammad Reza Shah's royal library left exactly as he abandoned it on January 16, 1979; the US Embassy hostage crisis lasting 444 days (1979–1981); the Iran-Iraq War human wave (mouj-e ensani) Basij teenage volunteers and Iraq's Halabja chemical attack killing 3,200–5,000 Kurds in one day (1988); Valiasr Street at 21.5 km as the longest street in Iran; and Shahr-e Rey continuously inhabited since 6000 BCE.