Iran in 1960s

Iran in 1960s

When the people of the West today hear the word "Iran", they come to mind veiled women, burning American flags and angry crowd shouted nationalist slogans. But those who kept the memories of Tehran, 1960-70s, painted a completely different picture. 

01. Aerial view of Vali-Asr Square in 1971 Courtesy of Kaveh Farrokh 

Before the Islamic revolution in 1979 the capital of Iran was one of the most culturally advanced in the world. The newspaper The New York Times wrote: "Before the revolution, Iran was the most cultural and multi-ethnic country in the region. It quickly developed art, literature, film and television industry. " Education may receive, both men and women, and residents went on holiday to the ski resorts are located in the mountains of Mount Elbrus. Kaveh Farrokh (Kaveh Farrokh), author of the photos presented below, is now living in Canada, but remembers his youth spent in Iran, when it was possible to watch American films in movie theaters and upscale to roam the airport, stuffed with advanced technology of the time. However, the sweet life was not for all Iranians. Social and economic inequalities caused by the policies of the government of Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, led to the poverty of some and the incredible wealth of others. Such contrasts led to the downfall of the government of the Shah and the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the consequences of which still define the course of the country. 19 more images after the break...

02. Students in the Park of Tehran University in 1971. Courtesy of Kaveh Farrokh 

 Women were first admitted to study at the university in 1934, long before the same thing happened in the U.S.. After the revolution, women still have the right to receive higher education, but now they are learning to separate from men. On the mini-skirts, no one even remembers. But even despite this openness, in 1977 only 35% of women were educated in Tehran. 

03. Gateway to the Tehran University in 1971. Courtesy of Kaveh Farrokh

 After the Revolution, the university courtyard is used for mass Friday prayers. 

04. Students at Tehran University. In 1970. Courtesy of Kaveh Farrokh 

 Although religion was a popular subject, and lectures on mathematics, astronomy, medicine and literature are also popular. Today in Tehran university has about 35,000 students on full-time and part-time full-time and correspondence forms of training. 

05. Students of the University of Tehran Medical Branch. Courtesy of  Kaveh Farrokh 

Now the university has a library of 17,000 volumes of manuscripts in Persian, Arabic and Turkish. 

06. Operating a hospital in Tehran in 1971. Courtesy of Kaveh Farrokh

By the end of the reign of the Shah, Iran's 34 million inhabitants lechilo of 15,000 doctors. There were problems with the medicine, especially outside the major centers such as Tehran. 

07. Vali-Asr Street, formerly known as Pahlavi street in honor of the ruling dynasty in 1960. Courtesy of Kaveh Farrokh

This street, surrounded by trees, is one of the busiest in Tehran. 

08. Hilton Hotel in Tehran, 1961. Courtesy of Kaveh Farrokh

 Now it is called Esteghlal International Hotel. Farrokh says that in the 1960s in the vicinity of the hotel is often the townspeople walking, but when he was in town in 2001, he discovered that the building is surrounded by a variety of industrial buildings. 

09. Mehrabad International Airport in 1971. Courtesy of Kaveh Farrokh

Mehrabad had become one of the busiest and most modern airports in western Asia, but the revolution has significantly reduced the influx of tourists. In the 1960s, when air travel was still a novelty for people fascinated by airports and their uniqueness, located at Mehrabad popular jazz cafe. Currently, most international flights take International Airport named after Imam Khomeini. 

10. Photo streets Istanbul in 1965. Courtesy of Kaveh Farrokh

 Trendy American cars were not uncommon on the streets of Tehran. Visit the capital of Iran at that time was considered as prestigious as a trip to New York or Paris. 

11. The tower of memory of the kings in Tehran (in 1979 was renamed the Freedom Tower, or Tower of Azadi) during construction in 1966. Courtesy of Kaveh Farrokh

 Later, a monument was tightly associated with the city, and Farrokh calls it "the Eiffel Tower Tehran." 

12. Miss Iran 1967 Shahla Vahabzhadi. Courtesy of Kaveh Farrokh

 Beauty contest held in the Hilton Hotel, where contestants battled for the title of the most beautiful girls of the country. 

13. Shemshak Ski Resort in 1971. Courtesy of Kaveh Farrokh

14. Abali Ski Resort in 1966. Courtesy of Kaveh Farrokh

15. Cap from Pepsi-Cola from Iran of the 1970s. Farrokh says tegerantsy always thought my Pepsi tastes better American. Courtesy of Kaveh Farrokh

16. Iranian rock-jazz group called the Black Cats (the Black Cats). Courtesy of Kaveh Farrokh

17. Cinema Golden City Cinema in 1971. The poster shows the name of «Arabesque» - the movie with Gregory Peck and Sophia Loren. Courtesy of Kaveh Farrokh

  18. Twist in Tehran? Cream of Tehran society took off shoes and dance to rock 'n' roll in the early 1960s. Courtesy of Kaveh Farrokh

19. Mother and son in the children's department store in Tehran in 1971. Courtesy of Kaveh Farrokh

 In a department store Kourosh, except chic clothing for men and women, on the top floor also housed a luxurious restaurant.

20. Radio Iran in the early 1970s. Courtesy of Kaveh Farrokh

State Broadcasting Company "National Radio and Television of Iran" was opened in 1971 Gotbi Rezo, a close relative of the former queen of Iran. Now Gotbi lives in the United States.

High-Rise Cities in the World

Hong Kong - 7.685

Interesting data on the number of houses taller than 35 meters. For the record - the usual panel five-storey building - about 18 meters. 24 more cities after the break...

New York City. USA - 5.924

Sao Paulo. Brazil - 5.667

Singapore - 4.368

Moscow. Russia - 3.273

Seoul. South Korea - 2.877

Teheran. Iran - 2.804

Tokyo. Japan - 2.702

Rio de Janeiro. Brazil - 2.564

Istanbul. Turkey - 2.148

Toronto. Canada - 1.868

Saint-Petersburg. Russia - 1.770

Buenos Aires. Argentina - 1.709

Kiev. Ukraine - 1.531

London. England - 1.478

Osaka. Japan - 1.463

Mexico. Mexico - 1.364

Mumbai. India - 1,223

Madrid. Spain - 1.127

 Chicago. USA - 1.125

Caracas. Venezuela - 1.109

Bangkok. Thailand - 1.106

Recife. Brazil - 1.103

Santiago. Chile - 1.094

Shanghai. China - 990

Top 10 Most Amazing Temples of World

01. Wat Rong Khun

 Wat Rong Khun: – Wat Rong Khun in Chiang Rai, Thailand is all white temple which is highly ornated with mosaic mirrors to shine. Wat Rong Khun temple is still under construction and is expected to take another 90 years making it a wonder of coming years.

Here are 10 most amazing temples of the world. These temples are from Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Taoism. These religious people worship in temples, which are architecturally as diverse as the religions are different from each other.  09 more amazing temples after the break, 

02. Shwedagon Pagoda

Shwedagon Pagoda: – Believed to be built between 6th – 10th century, Shwedagon Paya (or Pagoda) in Myanmar, is termed as “golden temple” which mean that the structure is golden in color. Buddhist people save for years to buy small packets of gold leafs to stick to the temple walls. The spire of the stupa or dome is covered with over 5,000 diamonds and 2,000 rubies. Shwedagon Pagoda housed one of the holiest relics in Buddhism: eight strands of Buddha’s hair.

 03. Tiger’s Nest Monastery

Tiger’s Nest Monastery: – Tiger’s Nest Monastery (Taktshang Goemba), is situated on the edge of a 3,000-feet-high cliff in Paro Valley, is one of the holiest places in Bhutan. Legend has it that Guru Rinpoche, the second Buddha, flew onto the cliff on the back of a tigress, and then meditated in a cave which now exists within the monastery walls. Now the entrance is restricted to practicing Buddhists only.

04. Prambanan

Prambanan: – Built in 850 CE, Prambanan is a Hindu temple in Central Java, Indonesia. The temple is composed of 8 main shrines and 250 surrounding smaller ones. It has walls which narrate stories of Vishnu’s incarnations, adventures of Hanuman (the Monkey King), the Ramayana epic and other legends.

05. Temple of Heaven

Temple of Heaven: – Built in 14th century, The Temple of Heaven is a Taoist temple in Beijing, the capital of China. Everything in the temple, which represents Heaven, is circular whereas the ground levels, which represent the Earth, are square.

06. Borobudur

Borobudur: – In the 19th century, Dutch occupiers of Indonesia found a massive ancient ruin deep in the jungles of Java. What they discovered was the complex of Borobudur, a gigantic structure built with nearly 2 million cubic feet (55,000 m³) of stones. The temple has nearly 2,700 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. Until today, no one knows for sure when and why it was built, nor the reason for its complete abandonment hundreds of years ago. Some scholars believe that Borobudur is actually a giant textbook of Buddhism, as its bas reliefs tell the story of the life of Buddha and the principles of his teachings. To “read,” a pilgrim must make his way through nine platforms and walk a distance of over 2 miles.

07. Chion-in Temple

Chion-in Temple: – Built in 1234 CE Chion-in Temple is most famous temples in Japan. Visitors to the Chion-in Temple must first pass through the largest gate in Japan: the two-story San-mon Gate. The temple bell is also a record setter: it weighs 74 tons and needs 17 monks to ring it during the New Year celebrations. Chion-in Temple has the “singing” floor of the Assembly Hall which is called a uguisu-bari or nightingale floor. These wooden planks were designed to creak at every footstep to alert the monks of intruders! 

08. Golden Temple

Golden Temple: – The Harmandir Sahib (meaning The Abode of God) or simply the Golden Temple in Punjab, India is the most sacred shrine of Sikhism. For the Sikhs, the Golden Temple symbolizes infinite freedom and spiritual independence. The site of the Temple began with a small lake that was so peaceful that even Buddha came there to meditate. Thousands of years later, Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism also lived and meditate by the lake. Construction of the Golden Temple began in the 1500s, when the fourth Guru of Sikhism enlarged the lake that became Amritsar or Pool of the Nectar of Immortality, around which the temple and the city grew. The Temple itself is decorated with marble sculptures, gilded in gold, and covered in precious stones.

09. Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, and Bayon

Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, and Bayon: – Angkor Wat was built in the early 12th century in what is now Cambodia. The world famous temple was first a Hindu one, dedicated to Vishnu. In the 14th or 15th century, as Buddhism swept across Asia, it became a Buddhist temple. The Western world’s got a glimpse of Angkor Wat when a 16th century Portuguese monk visited the temple and eloquently described it as “of such extraordinary construction that it is not possible to describe it with a pen, particularly since it is like no other building in the world. It has towers and decoration and all the refinements which the human genius can conceive of.” His words still rang true today. Tourists visiting Angkor Wat usually also visit the nearby ruins of Angkor Thom and Bayon, two fantastic temples that serve as the ancient capital of Khmer empire.

10. Vishnu Temple of Srirangam

Vishnu Temple of Srirangam: – The Temple of Srirangam (Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple), in the Indian city of Tiruchirapalli (or Trichy), is the largest functioning Hindu temple in the world. Legend has it that a long time ago, a sage rested and put down a statue of Vishnu reclining on a great serpent. When he was ready to resume his journey, he discovered that the statue couldn’t be moved, so a small temple was built over it. Over centuries, the temple “grew” as larger ones were built over the existing buildings. The temple complex is massive: it encompasses an area of over 150 acres (63 hectares) with seven concentric walls, the outermost being about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) long! The walls demarcate enclosures within enclosures, each more sacred than the next, with the inner-most enclosure is forbidden to non-Hindus.