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.