History of Tehran is all about how a small village evolved into a flourishing metropolis which stands 19th in the world as far as global population is concerned. Archaeological studies have now placed the settlements in Iran as dating back to 6000 BC. The place came into prominence as a village, located near the well known city of Rhages (Rey) in the 9th century.

When the Mongols arrived in the 13th century, Rhages was destroyed and its inhabitants fled to the nearby village of Tehran. The information available from the Mongol era refers to the village as “Rhages’ Tehran”. This also finds mention in Nezhat ol-Gholoob written by Hamdollah Mostowfi.

How It Became the Capital City

Before you travel to Iran, you can find out that the town became important when the Safavids came to the throne in 17th century. A bazaar was built in the city by Tahmasp I who also made a wall around the place. The history of Iran tells you that Tehran lost its popularity when Abbas I became sick in this place when going to wage a war against the Uzbeks. see this Iran tour

But later, in the 18th century, Karim Khan Zand again increased the importance of the city by building a palace and a government office. However, he did not make Tehran his capital but preferred to rule from Shiraz instead. Tehran became the capital of Iran in 1795, when Agha Mohammad Khan of the Qajar dynasty came to the throne. It has been declared the capital of the country till now.