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در زمانهای نوجوانی ما و در سالهای بسیار دور و به قولی "روزی روزگاری" وقتی سخن از رفتن به شمیرانات به میان می آمد، دل درون دل ما نبود که به شمیران می رویم، فراوان درخت و درختان میوه می بینیم و می چینیم، فراوان پرندگان رنگارنگ و زیبا می بینیم، فراوان جویبارهای کوچک و بزرگ و رودخانه های روان و آبشارهای متعدد می بینیم که در گردش آب ها از این باغ به آن باغ و اختلاف سطح هایی که این کوچه باغ ها با هم داشتند به آبشارهای کوچک و بزرگ تبدیل می شدند. به چه زیبا بود.
تازه ما مردمانی بودیم که از تهرانی به شمیران می رفتیم که شهر ما پر از زیبایی بود. با طبیعتی درخشان و خیابان هایی با جوی بارهای فراوان و درختان چنار و اقاقی ها و ... . چه اختلاف فاحشی در طبیعت بی نظیر شمیرانات بود که ما را در این گردش شمیرانی مست و مبهوت زیبایی طبیعت می کرد و جان تازه می گرفتیم.
وقتی از بلندی های امانیه و الهیه به آن دشت پهناور در دامنه کوه البرز نظر می انداختیم، خانه هایی با شیروانی های شکیل و معماری اصیل در میان آن دشت پهناور در مقابل چشمان خود داشتیم.
ولی امروز جز یک مشت ساختمان های بدون هویت چیزی نمی بینیم، که در واقع تقلیدی هستند دست سوم و چهارم از معماری قرون هجدهم و نوزدهم اروپا. این معماری ناجور را جایگزین آن عظمت الهی کرده ایم. باغ هایی با درختان چندین صد ساله را قطع کردیم و در بافت قدیمی همان کوچه باغ ها این بنا های بی هویت را جایگزین کرده ایم. و ما اکنون به هنگام دیدن از بلندی های الهیه با افسوس فراوان با خود می گوییم "دره من چقدر سبز بود"
ای کاش شهرسازان و معماران ما، که به ناگزیر در جریان توسعه شهرسازی قرار داشتند با دانش خود و با تکنیک پیشرفته جهان امروز یک شهرسازی مدرن با معماری مدرن در بلندی های کوه بی بی شهربانوی مقدس بنا می کردند تا هم حرفی در جهان امروز برای معماری و شهرسازی داشتند، و هم از آن شهر مدرن چشم اندازی بس با عظمت و زیبا که خداوند بزرگ به ما ارزانی داشته بود و قیمتی برای آن نمی توان گذاشت می دیدیم. بی شک عظمت آن دشت پهناور با درختان چندین ساله خود و موقعیت جغرافیایی اش خنکای خود را تا عماق آن شهر مدرن به ما ارزانی می داشت. این عظمت را هنوز از بلندی های قصر فیروزه و کوه بی بی شهر بانوی مقدس به خوبی می توان دید، با چه عظمت غیر قابل وصفی. و بدین ترتیب عقده ابدی جنوب شهر نشینی و شمال شهر نشینی را هم از میان بر می داشتیم. اما چطور بی رحمانه ریه و شش دشت پهناور تهران را تا دور دست های شهرری و ورامین از میان بر داشتیم. در واقع درختان خودمان را به صلیب کشیدیم به خاطر همین هوس های زمینی.
In my teenage years, otherwise said “the good old days” whenever the subject of going to Shemiran came up we were bubbling with joy; looking forward to see lot of trees and gather fruits and watching colorful & beautiful birds all around. A lot of big & small springs running through the gardens and sometimes creating big or small waterfalls due to the level difference between the gardens. Wow how beautiful it was.
Still we were those travelling to Shemiran coming from a beautiful city, with a glowing nature and alleys full of brooks, Chinar trees and Acacias. There was a significant difference in Shemiran’s nature which gave us new life and mesmerized during our promenade.
Standing on the heights of Amaniyeh and Elahiyeh a vast valley spread at the foothills of Alborz. You could have spotted housings with authentic architecture and beautiful gable roofs in that vast valley.
But today you see nothing but unidentified buildings, which are third & forth hand imitations of 18th and 19th century European architecture. We replaced that immensity of God with this ill-sorted architecture. We tore down gardens with trees as old as few centuries and replaced them with these unidentifiable buildings in that same old areas. And now looking down from the heights of Elahiyeh we whisper to ourselves: How Green was my Valley.
Wish our architects and urbanists who were inevitably in the process of the development of this city would have used their knowledge and the advanced modern technology to build a modern city on the heights of the holy Bibi-Shahrbanoo so internationally they had a place in today’s urbanism. Also from that modern city we could have seen the immensity of the vast valley which God offered us and we couldn’t put a price on it. Without any doubt the greatness of that valley, with its geographical position would have blown its freshness to the depth of that modern city. You can still watch this greatness from the heights of Qasr-Firouzeh & the holy Bibi-Shahrbanoo. And with this we would have demolished this eternal obsession of living in the north or south of the city. We cruelly destroyed the vst valley of Tehran as far as Shahr-Ray & Varamin. In truth we crucified our trees for these earthly desires.
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Overview and HistoryTehran is the capital of Iran and the largest city in the Middle East, with a population of fifteen million people living under the peaks of the Alborz mountain range.Although archaeological evidence places human activity around Tehran back into the years 6000BC, the city was not mentioned in any writings until much later, in the thirteenth century. It's a relatively new city by Iranian standards.But Tehran was a well-known village in the ninth century. It grew rapidly when its neighboring city, Rhages, was destroyed by Mongolian raiders. Many people fled to Tehran.In the seventeenth century Tehran became home to the rulers of the Safavid Dynasty. This is the period when the wall around the city was first constructed. Tehran became the capital of Iran in 1795 and amazingly fast growth followed over the next two hundred years.The recent history of Tehran saw construction of apartment complexes and wide avenues in place of the old Persian gardens, to the detriment of the city's cultural history.The city at present is laid out in two general parts. Northern Tehran is more cosmopolitan and expensive, southern Tehran is cheaper and gets the name "downtown."Getting ThereMehrabad airport is the original one which is currently in the process of being replaced by Imam Khomeini International Airport. The new one is farther away from the city but it now receives all the international traffic, so allow an extra hour to get there or back.TransportationTehran driving can be a wild free-for-all like some South American cities, so get ready for shared taxis, confusing bus routes and a brand new shiny metro system to make it all better. To be fair, there is a great highway system here.The metro has four lines, tickets cost 2000IR, and they have segregated cars. The women-only carriages are the last two at the end, FYI.Taxis come in two flavors, shared and private. Private taxis are more expensive but easier to manage for the visiting traveler. Tehran has a mean rush hour starting at seven AM and lasting until 8PM in its evening version. Solution? Motorcycle taxis! They cut through the traffic and any spare nerves you might have left.People and CultureMore than sixty percent of Tehranis were born outside of the city, making it as ethnically and linguistically diverse as the country itself. Tehran is the most secular and liberal city in Iran and as such it attracts students from all over the country.Things to do, RecommendationsTake the metro to the Tehran Bazaar at the stop "Panzda Gordad". There you can find anything and everything -- shoes, clothes, food, gold, machines and more. Just for the sight of it alone you should take a trip there.If you like being outside, go to Darband and drink tea in a traditional setting. Tehranis love a good picnic and there are plenty of parks to enjoy. Try Mellat park on a friday (fridays are public holidays), or maybe Park Daneshjou, Saaii or Jamshidieh.Remember to go upstairs and have a look around, always always always! The Azadi Tower should fit the bill; it was constructed to commemorate the 2500th anniversary of the Persian Empire.Tehran is also full of museums such as:the Contemporary Art Museumthe Abghine Musuem (glass works)the 19th century Golestan Royal Palace museumthe museum of carpets (!!!)Reza Abbasi Museum of extraordinary miniaturesand most stunning of all,the Crown Jewels Museum which holds the largest pink diamond in the world and many other jaw-dropping jewels.Text by Steve Smith.
