Since the early 1980s, when Dariush Shahbazi completed his research on the life of Mirza Taghi Khan Amir Kabir and authored “History of Iranian Coins,” he has been working on a twenty-volume series entitled “The Encyclopedia of Tehran’s History.” The multi-volume work “Pages from the History of Tehran,” which contains articles and essays previously published or presented elsewhere, is an excerpt from that larger series.

The area encompassing Tehran, whose history of civilization spans the entire length of Iranian history, extends from the slopes of the majestic Mount Damavand to the fertile plains beyond Karaj, and from the mountainous, temperate region of Ushan and Fasham to the arid deserts of Varamin and Rey. This region, now known as Greater Tehran, is a cultural area with a history dating back more than nine thousand years. “The Encyclopedia of Tehran’s History” details the natural features, historical buildings, cultural monuments, and the cultural heritage of the people who have lived in this land for millennia.