TEHRAN --- “The Story of Tehran”, a review of the process of formation and changes in the capital Tehran written by director of Iran’s Research Institute for Cultural Heritage and Tourism Mohammad Beheshti, was unveiled at the Imam Ali (AS) Religious Arts Museum on Wednesday.

Published by Iran Cultural Studies Publications, the book was introduced on Wednesday October 5, the day which has been named after the capital Tehran.

“The Story of Tehran” gives a cultural image of Tehran, reviews its geographical location and position during history, and studies the role of Tehran in the land of Iran, and its history of becoming a large metropolis, Persian media reported on Friday.

“In the past years in Tehran in early 1960s, the streets had names and characters, and were introduced with numbers and lengths like 30- meter or 45-meter streets, but they abruptly turned and went nowhere,” Beheshti said at the ceremony.

“But in the middle of 90s, the social and cultural changes of Tehran gradually transformed the feelings of Tehran. The residents of Tehran changed their ways of living, that is, the buildings belonged to Tehran again, but not the streets and the walls,” Beheshti explained.

He expressed regrets that Tehran has no story for the people of today. “I believe the people of Tehran eagerly wait to hear stories about Tehran.”

Beheshti, who was once head of the Farabi Cinematic Foundation, added that during his years of activities, he can hardly remember any film that portrayed a specific location.

“Locations in our films do not have distinct identities. We had this identity in a film like “Qeysar” (1969, Masud Kimiai). In that film, there was an identifiable public bathhouse, and several famous neighborhoods in Tehran, but after that, no film has had similar portrayals,” he explained.

“We need to tell stories about Tehran that achieve clear portrayals of the locations,” he concluded.

Photo: The front cover of “The Story of Tehran”

RM/YAW