TEHRAN – Tehran’s provincial Cultural Council has designated Mehr 14 (Oct. 6) as “Tehran Day” to commemorate the city’s historic role in the establishment of Iran’s constitutional system and its designation as the national capital.

The decision was announced at a council meeting chaired by Tehran’s interim Friday prayer leader, Seyyed Mohammad-Hassan Aboutorabifard, and attended by provincial governor-general Mohammad-Sadegh Motamedian.

Motamedian said the new commemoration day would be used to highlight Tehran’s historical, cultural, and tourism assets. “Tehran Day is an opportunity to reintroduce the historical, cultural and tourism capacities of the Iranian capital,” he said, calling for seminars, photo exhibitions and guided tours to mark the occasion.

The council said the date was chosen to coincide with Oct. 6, 1906 (14 Mehr 1285 in the Iranian calendar), when the first session of the National Consultative Assembly was held at Golestan Palace after the signing of the constitutional decree by Qajar ruler Mozaffar ad-Din Shah.

The assembly was the first step toward drafting Iran’s constitution and formally designating Tehran as the country’s capital, according to the council.

Officials said the annual event will be marked with cultural and educational programs intended to emphasize the capital’s role in Iran’s modern history.

The Persian Constitution of 1906 was the first constitution of the Sublime State of Iran (Persia) and a result of the Persian Constitutional Revolution.

AM