Tehran

Various theories on the origin of the name Tehran have been put forward. Iranian linguist Zana Kamrani, in an article "Shemiran-Tehran", suggests that Tehran, and Kehran mean "the warm place", and "Shemiran" means "the cool place". He lists cities with the same base and suffix and studied the components of the word in ancient Iranian languages, and came to the conclusion that Tehran and Kehran meant the same thing in different Iranian language families, as the constant "t" and "k" are close to each other in such languages. He also provided evidence that cities named "Shemiran" were colder than those named "Tehran" or "Kehran". He considered other theories not consider the ancient history of Iranian languages, such as "Tirgan" theory and "Tahran" theory folk etymology. …

Archaeological remains from the ancient city of Ray suggest that settlement in Tehran dates back over 6,000 years. Tehran is in the historical Media region (Old Persian: 𐎶𐎠𐎭 Māda) in northwestern Iran. By the time of the Median Empire, part of present-day Tehran was a suburb of the prominent Median city of Rhages (Old Persian: 𐎼𐎥𐎠 Ragā). In the Avesta's Videvdat (i, 15), Rhages is mentioned as the 12th sacred place created by Ohrmazd. In Old Persian inscriptions, Rhages appears as a province (Bistun 2, 10–18). From Rhages, Darius I sent reinforcements to his father Hystaspes, who was putting down a rebellion in Parthia (Bistun 3, 1–10). Some Middle Persian texts give Rhages as the birthplace of Zoroaster, although modern historians generally place the birth of Zoroaster in Khorasan province. …

City of Tehran is bounded in the north by the southern end and the highest point of Alborz Mountain Range (Tochal Peak, 3,963m), in the east by a hilly stretch of Alborz (namely, Sorkheh Hesar National Park, part of Khojir National Park and the northeastern badlands), in the southeast by Raga Mountain and in the west and southwest by fertile meadows and many villages, fed by numerous rivers and streams, mainly Karaj and Jajrud. The metropolis is divided into 22 municipal districts, each with its administrative center. Of the 22 municipal districts, 20 are located in Tehran County's Central District, while districts 1 and 20 are respectively located in the counties of Shemiranat and Ray. …

Iranian festivals are held in Tehran along with regional and western festivals. Nowruz, Chaharshanbe Suri, Sizdah Be-dar, Yaldā Night, Valentine's Day and Halloween have been popular festivals in recent decades. The oldest surviving architectural monuments are from the Qajar and Pahlavi eras. In Greater Tehran, monuments dating back to the Seljuk era remain as well; notably the Toqrol Tower in Ray. Rashkan Castle, dating back to the ancient Parthian Empire, of which some artifacts are housed at the National Museum; and the Bahram fire temple, which remains since the Sassanian Empire. Tehran only had a small population until the late 18th century but it began to take a more considerable role in Iranian society after it was chosen as the capital city. Despite the regular occurrence of earthquakes during the Qajar period and after, some historic buildings remain from that era. …

Tehran is the economic centre of Iran. About 30% of Iran's public-sector workforce and 45% of its large industrial firms are located in the city, and almost half of these workers are employed by the government. Most of the remainder of workers are factory workers, shopkeepers, laborers, and transport workers. Few foreign companies operate in Tehran, because of the government's complex international relations. But before the 1979 Revolution, many foreign companies were active in Iran. Tehran's present-day modern industries include the manufacturing of automobiles, electronics and electrical equipment, weaponry, textiles, sugar, cement, and chemical products. It is also a leading centre for the sale of carpets and furniture. The oil refining companies of Pars Oil, Speedy, and Behran are based in Tehran. …

Tehran had a population of 7,711,230 people, in 2,286,787 households at the time of the 2006 National Census. The 2011 census counted 8,154,051 people, in 2,624,511 households. The 2016 census recorded 8,693,706 people, in 2,911,065 households. With its cosmopolitan atmosphere, Tehran is home to diverse ethnic and linguistic groups from all over the country. The present-day dominant language is the Tehrani variety of the Persian language, and the majority of people identify themselves as Persians. Historically the native language of the Tehran–Ray region was not Persian, which is linguistically Southwest Iranian and originates in Fars, but an extinct Persian dialect and Northwestern Iranian language. Iranian Azeris are the second-largest ethnic group, comprising about 10–15% of the population. Ethnic Mazanderanis are the third-largest, comprising about 5% of the population. …