Today get along with Iran Review and spend a memorable day in one of the oldest neighborhoods of Tehran: Tajrish neighborhood. Tajrish neighborhood is the center of Tehran province’s Shemiranat County and is located in Tehran's municipal District 1.

 

 

Tajrish square, which is the end point of Tehran's Vali Asr Avenue, is among Tehran's crowded trading and commercial hubs.

 

 

The old bazaar, Tajrish Grand Tekiyeh (a place for religious mourning ceremonies) and the shrine of Emamzadeh Saleh in addition to numerous shopping centers are among main attractions of Tajrish neighborhood.

 

 

To reach this old and beautiful neighborhood of Tehran, you can use the first line of Tehran's subway, which goes through Shariati Avenue, or alternatively take a bus or taxi through Vali Asr Avenue both of which are among the longest streets in metropolitan Tehran.

 

 

This neighborhood can be approached through Tajrish Square or Quds Square between which is located the old and roofed bazaar of Tajrish, the Grand Tekiyeh of Tajrish, and the shrine of Emamzadeh Saleh in addition to many shops, stores, big shopping malls, restaurants and coffee shops.

 

 

The hustle and bustle of life has so engulfed this neighborhood that if for any reason you don’t feel good, you can take a stroll down the bazaar of Tajrish to feel better and, as put by people of Tehran, try a form of therapy, which is locally known as Tajrish-therapy.

 

 

Using one of the aforesaid routes, get yourself to Tajrish at about 9:00 in the morning, then take a taxi at the beginning of Fana Khosrow street and get off at Darband Square, where one of many mountaineering routes of Tehran starts.

 

 

Inside the square, there is a very old and traditional coffeehouse with a few tables and chairs where you can have one of the most delicious traditional omelets of Iran along with freshly baked bread and a cup of tea.

 

 

After having your breakfast, you can take Ja’fari Street, which runs parallel to Fana Khosrow Street and get back to Tajrish Square. Then go to the bazaar and dive into the packed crowd in there to feel the people, shops, and various kinds of goods and foodstuff in addition to all kinds of different colors, scents, and sounds with all your heart.

 

 

There is no commodity, which you cannot find in this market. As put by the Iranian proverb “everything but the kitchen sink” can be found in this market. Do not be put off by clamor of people, because this is Tajrish and everybody knows how to move around in there.

 

 

The fragrance of vegetables, fruits, chicken and fish, pickles, fruit leather, samanu (an Iranian sweet paste made entirely from germinated wheat), soup, porridge… has permeated everywhere.

 

 

The cries of shopkeepers, who want to sell their commodities, are also enticing. As soon as you lock eyes with them, they energetically urge you to buy what they sell.

 

 

Then from within the market, you can access Emamzadeh Saleh to visit and tour this shrine, which is among sacred places for Shia Muslims. The Grand Tekiyeh of Tajrish is also before you at Tajrish bazaar and you can visit it as well. The bazaar of Tajrish is one of the liveliest of the world’s places, which never sleeps.

 

 

If you feel tired, you can go toward the other side of Tajrish Square and the beginning of Sa’adabad Street and have a hot coffee or tea at a coffee shop called Lamiz, which in my opinion, serves the best coffee in Tehran.

 

 

If you are not tired and what you have purchased from the bazaar is not heavy, you can continue along the same street upward and go to Sa’adabad palace, which holds one of the most beautiful collections of Iranian palaces related to Pahlavi era.

 

 

There you can buy a ticket to visit all magnificent palaces in the complex and spend a while in its beautiful garden.

 

 

Following this cultural tour, you can have a light lunch in restaurants and cafés located around Tajrish square or you can refer to one of the fancy restaurants at Tandis Shopping Center or the food court at the Arg Shopping Center and while visiting modern stores in there, have your lunch.

 

 

Then take Vali Asr Avenue toward south and after walking for a short while, which is also good to help you digest the food you already had, you will found yourself in Bagh Ferdows, which is the location of one of old gardens of Tehran and a legacy of the Qajar dynasty.

 

 

There is a very beautiful mansion at the end of this garden, which has been turned into Cinema Museum. You can both visit the museum and watch your favorite movies at the museum’s theater.

 

 

If you want to have an afternoon cup of coffee or tea, you can sit down at Bagh Ferdows’ cinema café and enjoy its green environment, or take the same route back to return to Tajrish Square.

 

 

Along the way, you will come across one of the oldest confectionary stores of Tehran, which is called Ladan, and you can test its delicious ice cream.

 

 

Then you can sit on benches around Tajrish Square for a few minutes and look at all this hustle and bustle and vibrancy that is going on around you: this is Tajrish, the heart of north Tehran.

 

 

I am sure that you are tired by now. Therefore, you can take one of those transportation means, which I told you about before, and get back to your place of residence or hotel. Of course, you must work out for a while the next day in order to digest all the food that you have eaten. Bon Appétit!

 

 

*Photo Credit: Wikipedia, Hamshahri Online, CHN.ir, Jam News, Mizan News Agency, Tabnak.ir, Cafeyab.com, Pool News, Tasnim, Iranian4iran, Shahrkhabar.ir, ...

Link for Further Reading:

*Breakfast in Restaurants and Cafés of Tehran

*Enjoyable Moments in Tehran with a Cup of History


Published with permission from Iran Review and the author