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List Of Mayors Of Tehran

List of Mayors of Tehran

This is a list of Mayors of Tehran:
- Gholamhossein Karbaschi (1988-1998)
- Morteza Alviri
- Ahmad Malekmadani
- Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (2003-2005)
- Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (since 2005)
- Tehran Category:Tehran

Mayor

A mayor (from the Latin maīor, meaning "larger","greater") is the politician who serves as chief executive official of some types of municipalities. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs as to the powers and responsibilities of a mayor, as well as the means of becoming mayor. The French form of the word is maire. In Germany and the Low Countries the chief town magistrate is called "burgomaster" (G. Bürgermeister, Du. burgemeester; French-speaking parts of Belgium use bourgmestre), in Italy sindaco, in Bohemia starosta and in Spain alcalde, a term derived from a Moorish post. In the United States, mayors are usually elected by the citizens of a locality for a fixed term. They generally share power with a local legislative body, such as a city council. Mayors may also function as the head of the city council, sometimes elected as mayor by the council rather the citizens, while day-to-day operations of the city are delegated to a professional city manager. In Salt Lake County in the U.S. state of Utah there is a county mayor. Additionally, the chief executives of all counties in Tennessee and Hawaii are referred to as "mayors". However, these persons are elected, not appointed, to that office. In Canada mayors are usually elected at large by the citizens of a municipality for a fixed term. In most provinces, the Mayor operates under a weak-mayor system in which the Mayor sits as a member of the municipal council. In such systems, the Mayor has one vote, in common with all other members of Council and no executive powers. In rural municipalities, the head of Council may have the title reeve as opposed to mayor. In several other countries, mayors are often appointed by some branch of the federal or regional government. In some cities, subdivisions such as arrondissements or boroughs may have their own mayors; this is the case, for example, with Paris and Mexico City. In the United Kingdom, the office of Mayor has long been ceremonial. Directly-elected mayors with executive powers were introduced in some areas from 2000. In London, the ceremonial Lord Mayor of London, representing the City of London, should be distinguished from the elected Mayor of London who is responsible for the whole of Greater London. Thirty cities in the United Kingdom have Lord Mayors (or Lord Provosts in Scotland). In Finland, there are no mayors, although plans have been floated to institute the office in Tampere. The highest executive official is not democratically elected, but appointed to a public office by the city council, and is called simply kaupunginjohtaja "city manager" or kunnanjohtaja "municipal manager", depending on whether the municipality feels like calling itself a city. The term pormestari "mayor", from Swedish borgmästare "master of the castle" confusingly refers to the highest official in the registry office, not the city manager. In addition, pormestari is also a title, which may be given for distinguished service in the post of the city manager. The city manager of Helsinki is called ylipormestari, which translates to "Chief Mayor", for historical reasons.

History

In spite of its etymology, "mayor" was not a Roman office. It came into use in the large entourages that followed the barbarian leaders who succeeded to the power of the Emperor of the West. The male officer who governed a king or duke's peripatetic household was the major domus, the "major domo". In the households of the Merovingian Frankish kings, the major domus, or praefectus palatii ("prefect of the palace"), gained such power that, in the person of Pippin of Herstal, he ended by evicting his master. He was the "mayor of the palace".

Related articles and lists


- Lists of mayors by country
- Council-manager government
- Mayor-council government
- World Mayor
- Mayor Category:Management occupations Category:Titles
- ja:首長

Tehran

Tehran (also transcribed Teheran) (تهران in Persian), population 9,000,000 (metropolitan: 14,000,000), and a land area of 254 square miles, the capital of Iran (Persia) and the center of Tehran Province. Tehran is located at . [http://earth-info.nga.mil/gns/html/cntry_files.html] More than half of the country's industry is based there. Industries include the manufacturing of cars, electronics and electrical equipment, weaponry, textiles, sugar, cement, and chemical products. It is also a leading center for the sale of carpets and furniture. There is an oil refinery nearby. Tehran is a sprawling city at the foot of the Alborz mountain range with an immense network of highways unparalleled in western Asia. It is also the hub of the country's railway network. The city has numerous large museums, art centers, palace complexes and cultural centers. Besides Persians there are Azeri, Armenian, Kurdish and Jewish communities in Tehran. 98.3 percent of Tehran's residents speak Persian [http://www.hamshahri.org/ostans/iraninfo/tehran/farbomi/leftfar.htm]. The city is dotted with mosques. There are some churches and synagogues. The word Tehran in Persian means "warm mountain slope" (دامنه گرم).

History

Excavations place the existence of settlements in Tehran as far back as 6000 BC. Tehran was well known as a village in the 9th century, but was less well-known than the city of Rages which was flourishing nearby in the pre-Mongol era. In the 13th century, following the destruction of Rages by Mongols, many of its inhabitants fled to Tehran. In some sources of the Mongol era the city is mentioned as "Rages's Tehran" (طهرانِ ری). The city is later mentioned in Hamdollah Mostowfi's Nezhat ol-Gholoob (written in 1340) as a famous village. 1340 No one knows for sure how the city got its name, but one accepted explanation is that Tehran means "a warm place", as opposed to "a cool place", called Shemiran - a cooler district in northern Tehran. Don Ruy Gonzáles de Clavijo, a Castilian ambassador, was probably the first European to visit Tehran, stopping in July 1404, while on a journey to Samarkand (now in Uzbekistan) and the Mongol capital at the time. At this time, the city of Tehran was unwalled. Tehran became a residence of the Safavid rulers in the 17th century. Tahmasp I built a bazaar and a wall around the city, but it somewhat fell out of favour after Abbas I turned sick when he was passing the city to go to a war with the Uzbeks. In the early 18th century, Karim Khan Zand ordered a palace, a harem, and a government office to be built in Tehran, possibly to declare the city his capital, but later moved his government to Shiraz. Tehran finally became the capital of Persia in 1795, when the Qajar king Agha Mohammad Khan was crowned in the city. It remains the capital to this day. During World War II, British and Soviet troops entered the city. Tehran was the site of the Teheran Conference in 1943, attended by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin. On September 8 1978, demonstrations against the Shah led to riots. The army reportedly opened fire on the demonstrating mob. Martial law was installed in the wake of the ensuing revolution, from 1978-80. During the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War, Tehran was the scene of repeated Scud missile attacks and air strikes against random residential and industrial targets within the city, resulting in thousands of civilian casualties.

About Tehran

19781978 The Azadi Tower is the first thing visitors come across when coming from the Mehr-abad International Airport. The tower has become an icon of sorts for Tehran and Iran. Tehran suffers from extremely serious traffic congestion and pollution problems. Respiratory ailments such as asthma are now very common. Tehran has become so congested in the past 10 years, that the government has considered moving the nation's capital to another city to alleviate these problems and help de-centralize the economy and population. This is especially true in light of predictions of an imminent major earthquake in Tehran, situated on top of three major faultlines. But because Iran's economy and politics is so centralized, millions have little choice but to live and work in Tehran despite these problems. The Peacock Throne of the Persian Shahs can be found in Tehran's Golestan Palace. Some of the important museums are National Museum of Iran, Sa'dabad Palaces Complex, Glassware and Ceramics Museum of Iran, The Carpet Museum of Iran, Tehran's Underglass painting Museum, and Niavaran Palace Complex. The Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art is also appealing to many because it features the works of great artists such as Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol. The huge Tehran International Fair organises many expositions. Its book expositions are especially popular. Tehran is also the seat of Iran's Parliament (the Majles). And Tehran is also home to the world's fourth tallest free standing structure, the Milad Tower. The Tehran Stock Exchange which is a full member of the FIBV and a founding member of the Federation of Euro-Asian Stock Exchanges, was one of the world's best performing stock exchanges in recent years.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3129995.stm]. But since the election win of hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, it has seen a sharp fall and is now seen as one of the least profitable exchanges in the world.

Neighborhoods and Districts of Tehran

FIBV The city of Tehran is divided into 22 municipal districts, each with its own administrative centers. Within these 22 districts, Tehran contains the following major neighborhoods : Abbas Abad, Afsariyeh, Amir Abad, Bagh Feiz, Baharestan, Darakeh, Darband, Dardasht, Dar Abad, Dehkadeh Olampik, Ekhtiyariyeh, Elahiyeh, Evin, Gholhak, Gisha, Gomrok, Hasan Abad, Jamaran, Jannat Abad, Javadiyeh, Jomhuri, Jordanne, Narmak, Navvab, Nazi Abad, Niavaran, Park Shahr, Pasdaran, Punak, Ray, Sa'adat Abad, Sadeghiyeh, Shahrara, Shahreziba, Shahrak-e Gharb, Shemiran, Tehranpars, Vanak, Yaft Abad, Yusef Abad, etc. For full list, see List of the localities around Tehran.

The older neighborhoods of Tehran

Tehran's old city fabric changed dramatically during the first Pahlavi era. Some of the older remaining districts of Tehran are: Udlajan, Sangelaj, Bazaar, Chaleh Meydan, Dowlat. Chaleh Meydan is the oldest neighborhood of the aforementioned.

Transportation

Chaleh MeydanIn 2001 a metro system that had been in planning since the 1970s opened the first two of seven envisaged lines -- even though the city is prone to earthquakes. Work has been slow and coverage remains very limited. Development of the Tehran metro system had been interrupted by the Islamic Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War. Problems arising from the late completion of the metro led to buses taking on the role of the metro lines, serving mainly long distance routes. Taxis filled the void for localised routes, not carrying passengers to their final destinations but operating along main routes and arteries. This has all led to extreme congestion and air pollution within the city. Tehran is served by Mehrabad International Airport, the old airport which doubles as a military base located in the western part of the city, and Imam Khomeini International Airport, 50 kilometers south, which handles flights from the Persian Gulf but which will eventually handle all international flights. The new airport is overdue and over budget, and Britain and Australia have warned their nationals not to use it because of safety concerns. Tehran also has a central train station with connecting services round the clock to various cities in the country. There are four bus terminals that also provide connections at low fares. These are the South, East, West, and Bei-haghi Park-Drive Terminals. While the center of the city contains the government ministries and headquarters, the commercial centers are more located toward Taleghani Ave. and Beheshti Ave. further north. Although administratively separate, Rey, Shemiran, and Karaj are often considered part of the larger Tehran metropolitan area. See also: List of Tehran metro stations

Colleges and universities

List of Tehran metro stations Ever since the establishment of Darolfonoon, Tehran has amassed an abundance of institutions of higher education. Some of these institutions have played crucial roles in the unfolding of Iranian political events. There are 45 major colleges and universities in total today in Tehran, listed below:

- [http://www.kntu.ac.ir/ K.N.Toosi University of Technology]
- [http://www.atu.ac.ir/ Allameh Tabatabaii University]
- Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic) ([http://www.aku.ac.ir/ website])
- Alzahra University ([http://www.alzahra.ac.ir/ website])
- [http://www.bmsu.ac.ir/ Baghiatollah University]
- [http://www.ihu.ac.ir/ Imam Hossein University]
- [http://www.isu.ac.ir/ Imam Sadegh University]
- Institute for Studies in Theoretical Physics and Mathematics (IPM) [http://www.ipm.ac.ir (website)]
- [http://www.iums.ac.ir/ Iran University of Medical Sciences]
- Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST)[http://www.iust.ac.ir (website)]
- [http://www.kiau.ac.ir/ Islamic Azad University of Karaj]
- Islamic Azad University of Roodehen
- [http://www.iautmu.ac.ir/ Islamic Azad University of Tehran-Medical Sciences]
- [http://www.iaunt.ac.ir/ Islamic Azad University of Tehran-North]
- [http://www.azad.ac.ir/ Islamic Azad University of Tehran-South]
- [http://www.iauctb.ac.ir/ Islamic Azad University of Tehran-Central]
- [http://www.iauro.ac.ir/ Islamic Azad University of Tehran-Region one]
- [http://www.shahed.ac.ir/ Shahed University]
- Shahid Beheshti University ([http://www.sbu.ac.ir/ website])
- Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences [http://www.sbmu.ac.ir (website)]
- Sharif University of Technology ([http://www.sharif.ac.ir/ webiste])
- Tarbiat Modares University[http://www.modares.ac.ir/ (website)]
- [http://www.tums.ac.ir/ Tehran University of Medical Sciences]
- [http://www.tmu.ac.ir/ Tehran University of Tarbiat Moallem]
- [http://www.art.ac.ir/ University of The Arts]
- [http://www.uswr.ac.ir/ University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences]
- University of Tehran [http://www.ut.ac.ir/ (website)]
- [http://www.emamreza.ac.ir/ University of Emam Reza]
- [http://www.hadith.ac.ir/ Hadith College of Tehran]
- Imam Ali University for Army Officers
- [http://www.itrws.com/ Comprehensive University of Technology]
- [http://www.uast.ac.ir/ Tehran University of Applied Science and Technology]
- [http://www.coe.ac.ir/ Tehran College of Environment]
- [http://www.bou.ac.ir/ Bagher Aloloum University]
- [http://www.iranu.com/ International University of Iran]
- [http://www.ictfaculty.ir/ Iran College of Tele-communications]
- Medical University for the Islamic Republic of Iran's Army
- NAJA University of Police
- [http://www.sea.ac.ir School of Economic Affairs (SEA)]
- [http://www.sir.ac.ir School of International Relations (SIR)]
- Shahed University of Medical Sciences
- Shahid Sattari University of Aeronautical Engineering
- University of Islamic Sects
- [http://www.ripi.ir/en/ The Research Institute of The Petroleum Industry]
- [http://www.iranpolymerinstitute.org/ Iran Polymer and Petrochemical Institute]
Tehran also contains Iran's largest military academy, and several religious schools and seminaries.

Sports

Tehran was the first city in the Middle East to host the Asian Games. The 7th Asian Summer Games in 1974, was held with the participation of 2363 athletes and officials from 25 countries. Tehran is also the site of Iran's national football stadium on Azadi Sport Complex with 100000 seating capacity. Many of the top matches of Iran's Premier League are held here. In 2005, FIFA ordered Iran limit spectators allowed into Azadi stadium because of a fatal crush and inadequate safety procedures. Azadi Sport ComplexWithin 10 minutes of driving distance from Tehran lies a ski resort. Tochal is the world's fifth highest ski resort at over 3730m at its highest 7th station. The resort was completed in 1976 shortly before the overthrow of the Shah. Here, one must first ride the eight km (five mile) long gondola lift which covers a huge vertical. The 7th station has three slopes. The resort's longest slope is the south side U shaped slope which goes from the 7th station to 5th station. The other two slopes are located on the north side of the 7th station. Here, there are two parallel chair ski lifts that go up to 3900m near Tochal's peak (at 4000m), rising higher than the gondola 7th station station. This altitude is higher than any of the European resorts. From the Tochal peak, one has a spectacular view of the Alborz range, including the 5671 metre (18606 ft) high Mt. Damavand, a dormant volcano. At the bottom of the lifts in a valley behind the Tochal peak is Tochal hotel, located at 3500m altitude. From there a T lift takes skiers up the 3800 metres of Shahneshin peak, where the third slope of Tochal is. Tochal 7th station has skiing eight months of the year. But there are also some glaciers and year-round snow fields near Tehran where skiing began in 1938, thanks to the efforts of two German railway engineers. Today, 12 ski resorts operate in Iran, but the most famous are Tochal, Dizin, and Shemshak, all within one to three hours of Tehran. See also: Sports in Iran

Football

In football (soccer), Tehran is host to six football clubs in Iran's Premier Football League, namely:

- Esteghlal
- Saba Battery
- Saipa
- Rah Ahan
- Pas Tehran
- Pirouzi/Persepolis
These clubs have on numerous occasions won Asian titles, and some of their players are known internationally.

Outdoor

Pirouzi/Persepolis
- [http://www.tochalcomplex.com Tochal Ski resort]
- Darband hiking trail
- Chitgar Park
- Mellat Park
- Laleh Park
- Jamshidieh Park
- Niavaran Park
- Sa'ei Park
- Shahr-e Bazi amusement park.
- Shatranj Park
- Darabad hiking trail
- Darakeh hiking trail
- Jahan-e Kudak Park
- Azadi Sports complex
- Enghelab Sports Complex and Golf course
- Several caves, springs, and waterfalls outisde Tehran.
- Latyan Lake
- Lavizan Forest Park
- Vardavard Forest Park
- Khajeer National Park
- Kavir National Park
- Tar Lake
- Amir Kabir Lake
- Lar Protected Natural Habitat
- Varjeen Protected Natural Habitat

Culture

Tehran, as Iran's showcase and historical capital city, has a wealth of cultural attractions, some of which are listed below.
Image:Azadi2.jpg|Azadi Sport Complex Image:Bagh-melli.jpg|Bagh-e Melli (National Garden) Image:Museh Melli3.jpg|A bowl from the 4th Millennium BCE in the National Museum of Iran. Image:Teheran golestan.jpg|Golestan Palace

Palaces

Golestan Palace
- Golestan Palace and Takht-e Marmar. [http://www.golestanpalace.org/ (website)]
- Niavaran Palace Complex [http://niavaranpalace.org/ (website)]
- Sadabad Palace [http://www.saadabadpalace.org/ (website)]
- Saltanat Abad Palace
- Firouzeh Palace, (which belongs to Tehran's Zoroastrian community)
- Soleymaniyeh Palace
- Baharestan Palace, (where Iran's first parliament was located at)
- Morvarid Palace, Karaj, designed by The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. [http://www.iranian.com/Kasraie/2004/June/Design/]

Museums


- [http://www.saadabadgallery.ir/ Sa'd Abad Gallery of Fine Arts]
- [http://www.glasswaremuseum.ir/ Glassware Museum of Tehran]
- Iran's National Rug Gallery [http://carpetmuseum.ir/ (website)]
- [http://www.rezaabbasimuseum.ir/ Reza Abbasi Museum]
- Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art [http://www.ir-tmca.com/ (website)]
- Tehran Theater of the Performing Arts (Te'atr e Shahr)
- Talar Vahdat Theater
- National Museum of Iran, [http://www.nationalmuseumofiran.ir (website)]
- Dar-abad Nature & Wildlife Museum
- National Library of Iran

Religious centers


- Soltani Mosque, built by Fath Ali Shah
- Atiq Mosque, built in 1663.
- Mo'ezz o-dowleh mosque, built by Fath Ali Shah
- Haj Seyd Azizollah mosque, built by Fath Ali Shah
- Al-javad mosque, Iran's first modernist design mosque.
- The Old Sepahsalar mosque, another prominent Qajar era mosque.
- The new Sepahsalar mosque (Madreseh e Motahari)
- Filsuf o-dowleh Mosque, Qajar era
- Moshir ol-Saltaneh Mosque, Qajar era
- Mo'ayyer ol-Mamalik Mosque, Qajar era
- Shahr Banu Mausopleum
- Javan-mard Qassab Mausoleum, a pre-Islamic semi-mythical hero
- Dozens of Imam-zadeh shrines, hundreds of years old, including that of Imam Zadeh Saleh.
- Dozens of Saqa Khanehs: traditional places of prayer
- Several Tekyehs: traditional places for mourning Muharram ceremonies for Husayn ibn Ali.
- Ibn Babviyeh cemetery, where many Iranian giants such as Takhti and Ali Akbar Dehkhoda are buried.
- Zahir o-dowleh cemetery, where many Iranian giants of art and culture such as Iraj Mirza, Mohammad Taghi Bahar, Forough Farrokhzad, Abolhasan Saba, Ruhollah Khaleghi, and Darvish-khan are buried.
- Kordan Tomb, Seljuqi era, Karaj.
- Maydanak Tomb, 13th century, Karaj
- The Polish cemetery 1-north of Tehran in British Gholhak garden, where numerous World War II western allied soldiers are buried. 2- polish cemetery (catholic cemetery)Dulab south of Tehran
- orthodox Cemetery.Dulab/The Russian unknown soldier's Tomb(Cenotaph) is located there with red star over it

Churches


- Surep Georg Church, 1790
- Thaddeus Bartoqimus Church, 1808
- Tatavus Church, from the Qajar era
- Enjili Church, 1867
- Assyrian Church
Image:Khalvat Karimkhani Golestan2.jpg|Khalvat-e Karimkhani, Golestan Palace. Image:Tehran cemetary WW2.jpg|Tehran's WW2 Cemetery of Allied Forces Image:Borj-toghrul.jpg|Toghrol Tower, 13th century. Image:Melli Library.jpg|National Library of Iran, Niavaran branch.

Castles and Forts


- Arzhang Fort, Taleqan, 1149CE
- Iraj Fort, Varamin
- Gol e Khandan Fort, Rudehen, Sassanid era
- Rashkan Fort, Ray, Parthian era
- Tabbarok Fort, Abbasid era
- Sorkheh-Hesar Fort, Seljuqi era.
- Kei-Ghobad Fort, Taleqan, Ismaili era
- Gabri Fort, Parthian era, Ray.
- Several other forts and castle ruins, such as Ghal'eh Dokhtar Tang Goseel, near Karaj. Like all the other forts of this area, these have been ruined by earthquakes. Seljuqi era.
- Harun Prison. Sassanid era. South of Tehran.
- Bagh e Melli foreign ministry compound.

Traditional Houses

Dozens of houses of antiquity with splendid traditional architectural design remain standing in Tehran today. Most are from the Qajar era. Some of these are:
- Etehadiyeh House, Qajar era
- Amir Bahador House, Qajar era
- Emam Jomeh House, 1863CE
- Amin ol-Soltan House, Qajar era
- Shaghaghi (Kushak) House, Qajar era
- Emarat e Bagh e Ferdows, Qajar era
- Emarat Farmaniyeh, Qajar era
- Shahid Modarres House, Uladjan district.
- Vothuq House, 1837CE
- Moshir o-Dowleh Pir Nia House However, there exist plenty of houses of historical heritage also open to the public, such as: House of Nima Yooshij, House of Mohammed Mossadegh, House of Ayatollah Taleghani, House of Ghavam o-Dowleh, House of Imam Khomeini, and House of Mahmoud Hessaby.

Archeological sites

An abundance of ancient archeological historicl sites exists in and around Tehran. Some of the more prominent ones are:
- Cheshme Ali Teppe, 5th millennium BCE. Excavated by Jacques de Morgan.
- Shoghali Teppe, 6th millennium BCE.
- Qeytariyeh ancient Cemetery, 2nd millennium BCE.
- Teppe Meel, excavated by Jacques de Morgan, believed to be the temple of the legendary ancient leader Bahram Gur.
- Vavan Teppe, Sassanid era
- Ghareh Teppe, 6th millennium CE, excavated by the British Burton Brown.
- Ozbaki Teppe, Hashtgerd.

Others

Sassanid
- Iran National Library
- Borj-e Milad
- Darolfonoon institute of higher education
- Morvarid Canon, Afsharid dynasty era
- Tughrul Tower, Seljuqi era
- Tehran's Grand Bazaar, 1523CE.
- Several bridges of antiquity. Example: Pol e Rumi, located in Northern Tehran, from the Safavid era, today a property of the Embassy of Turkey.
- Alborz High School
- Firouz Bahram High School
- Stodan Of Zoroastrian. Located in Aminabad area.

The Mayor of Tehran

See main article: Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf See also: List of mayors of Tehran

Sister cities

List of mayors of Tehran
- List of mayors of TehranLos Angeles, USA (linked before 1979)

2005 plane crash

On December 6th 2005 a military plane crashed into a ten story building killing 128 people and injuring 90 many others are left homeless.

See also


- Tehran International Fair
- Tehran Stock Exchange[http://www.tse.ir/]

External links


- [http://www.tehran.ir/ Tehran Municipality website]
- [http://www.tehrangis.com Tehran Geographic Information Center]
- [http://www.tehrancouncil.com/ Tehran's Islamic City Council] (in Persian)
- [http://www.ketabeavval.ir Urban Information Database (Yellow Pages)]
- [http://www.farsinet.com/tehran/history.html Farsinet's information on the history of Tehran]
- [http://www.tehranmetro.com Tehran Metro]
- [http://www.wikitravel.org/en/article/Tehran WikiTravel - Travel guide to Tehran (English)]
- [http://www.iles.umn.edu/faculty/bashiri/Courses/Tehran.html About Tehran]
- [http://www.tehranavenue.com/ Tehran Avenue (English)]
- [http://ganjineh.com/gallery/?page=iran,tehran&cat=place Tehran Gallery - Ganjineh.com]
- [http://www.tehran24.com/ Largest collection of photos from Tehran]
- [http://www.tehrantraffic.com/ Tehran Traffic Control Center]
- [http://www.iranian.com/Clips/2005/May/tehran.html Real Audio clip of the documentary: "Ancient Tehran: 8,000 years"]
- [http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=35.678494,51.407776&spn=0.269707,0.468361&t=k&hl=en Satellite picture by Google Maps] Category:Capitals in Asia Category:Cities along the Silk Road Category:Cities in Iran Category:Tehran Category:Iranian provincial capitals ko:테헤란 ja:テヘラン

Gholamhossein Karbaschi

Gholamhossein Karbaschi was the Mayor of Tehran, Iran, between 1988 and 1998. He is considered as a reformist politician and a close ally to the former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. In 1997 after the victory of the reformist president Mohammad Khatami the conservative part of the Iranian government start attacking his allies. In their first attempt they put Karbaschi on trail and finally, for few months, in jail. Karbaschi is the head of the party Kargozarane Sazandegi. Karbaschi was a driving force for many new modernization efforts. As the mayor of Tehran he started the first Iranian full color newspaper, Hamshahri. Category:Mayors of Tehran

1988

1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar.

Events

January


- January 1 - The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America comes into existence, creating the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States.
- January 2 - Georgia celebrates its bicentennial statehood.
- January 9 - Connecticut celebrates its bicentennial statehood.
- January 26 - Australia celebrates its bicentennial day.

February


- February 3 - The United States House of Representatives rejects President Ronald Reagan's request for $36.25 million to support Nicaraguan Contras.
- February 6 - Massachusetts celebrates its bicentennial statehood.
- February 11 - Anthony M. Kennedy is appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States.
- February 13 - The 1988 Winter Olympics open in Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- February 17 - US Lieutenant Colonel William R. Higgins, serving with a United Nations group monitoring a truce in southern Lebanon is kidnapped (captors later kill him)
- February 21 - On his own televangelism program being taped in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Jimmy Swaggart confesses that he is guilty of an unspecified sin and will be temporarily leaving the pulpit. The "unspecified sin" was an affair with a prostitute.
- February 24 - The Supreme Court of the United States sides with Hustler magazine by overturning a lower court decision to award Jerry Falwell $200,000 for defamation (see Hustler Magazine v. Falwell)
- February 26 - Australia's Bicentennial year - discovered 200 years ago today
- February 28 - The 1988 Winter Olympics close.
- February 29 - Nazi document implicates Kurt Waldheim in WWII deportations

March


- March 1 - Anthony M. Frank is appointed United States Postmaster General
- March 7 - Operation Flavius - The SAS shoot dead three unarmed Irish Republican Army members in Gibraltar.
- March 8 - Two United States Army helicopters collide in Fort Campbell, Kentucky killing 17 servicemen
- March 9 - Students at Gallaudet University go on strike for the selection of a Deaf university president
- March 16 - The Halabja poison gas attack was carried out by Iraqi government forces.
- March 16 - Iran-Contra Affair: Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North and Vice Admiral John Poindexter are indicted on charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States.
- March 19 - British army Corporals Woods and Howes are killed by the IRA in the so-called "Corporals killings".
- March 24 - Israeli court sentences Mordechai Vanunu to 18 years in prison for disclosing Israel's nuclear program to The Sunday Times
- March 29 - Assassination of Dulcie September in Paris

April

Paris
- April 4 - Governor Evan Mecham of Arizona is convicted in his impeachment trial and removed from office.
- April 10 - The Great Seto Bridge opened to traffic in Japan
- April 12 - Former pop singer Sonny Bono is elected mayor of Palm Springs, California
- April 14 - In Geneva Agreement, Soviet Union commits itself to withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan
- April 14 - USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG-58) strikes a mine in the Persian Gulf while deployed on Operation Earnest Will
- April 16 - Israeli commandos kill PLO's Khalil Wazir (Abu Jihad) in Tunisia
- April 18 - U.S. Navy forces retaliate for the Roberts mining with Operation Praying Mantis, a day of strikes against Iranian oil platforms and naval vessels
- April 25 - In Israel John Demjanuk is sentenced to death for war crimes committed in World War II. He was accused of being a notorious guard at the Treblinka extermination camp known as "Ivan the Terrible" by survivors. Conviction overturned by Israeli Supreme Court.
- April 28 - Maryland celebrates its bicentennial statehood.
- April 28 - Aloha Flight 243 loses in flight several yards of its upper fuselage; extraordinarily, the craft lands with only one fatality.
- April 30 - World Expo '88 opens in Brisbane Queensland Australia. The exhibition runs for 6 months hosting pavilions from over
70 countries and thrusts the sleepy city of Brisbane into the international spotlight.

May


- May 15 - Soviet war in Afghanistan: After more than eight years of fighting, the Red Army begins its withdraw from Afghanistan.
- May 16 - A report by the Surgeon General C. Everett Koop states that the addictive properties of nicotine are similar to those of heroin and cocaine.
- May 16 - California v. Greenwood: In a 6-2 decision, the Supreme Court of the United States rules that police officers do not need a search warrant to search through discarded garbage.
- May 23 - South Carolina celebrates its bicentennial statehood.
- May 24 - Section 28 (outlawing promotion of homosexuality in schools) is passed as law by Parliament in the United Kingdom.

June


- June 6 - Queen Elizabeth strips jockey Lester Piggott of his OBE
- June 11 - The name of the General Public License (GPL) is mentioned first time.
- June 21 - New Hampshire celebrates its bicentennial statehood.
- June 25 - Virginia celebrates its bicentennial statehood.
- June 25 - The Netherlands defeat the Soviet Union 2-0 to win Euro 88.
- June 28 - Four workers asphyxiated at a metal-plating plant in Auburn, Indiana, in the worst confined-space industrial accident in US history. A fifth victim dies two days later.
- June 29 - United States Supreme Court upholds the law allowing special prosecutor to investigate suspected crimes by executive branch officials.
- June 30 - Roman Catholic Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre consecrated four bishops at Ecône for his apostolate along with Bishop Antonio de Castro Mayer without a Papal mandate.

July


- July 1 - Bologna, Italy: Quartetto Cetra's last concert after over forty years' musical career.
- July 3 - Iran Air Flight 655 shot down by missiles launched from the USS Vincennes ship
- July 6 - The Piper Alpha drilling platform in the North Sea is destroyed by explosions and fires killing 165 oil workers and 2 rescue mariners.
- July 26 - New York celebrates its bicentennial statehood.
- July 30¨- Antonio Gomes dos Santos stands motionless in a Lisbon, Portugal shopping center for 15 hours, 2 minutes and 55 seconds

August


- August 6–7 - "Police riot" in New York City's Tompkins Square Park
- August 8 - Thousands of protestors in Burma (Myanmar) killed during demonstrations against the government.
- August 9 - Wayne Gretzky is traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings in one of the most controversial transactions in hockey history.
- August 17 - Pakistan President Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq and US Ambassador Arnold Raphel are killed in a plane crash.
- August 19 - Ceasefire begins in the Iran-Iraq war
- August 20 - Iran-Iraq war finished, costing an estimated 1 million lives
- August 26 - Merhan Karimi Nasseri ends up stuck in the Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris
- August 28 - A fire destroys part of Chiado quarter, in Lisbon's historical center.

September

Lisbon.]]
- September 1- Acacia pycnantha proclamed Australia's national floral emblem
- September 3- Federal referendums on 4-year terms, recognition of local Government and other issues is defeated in Australia
- September 5 - With US$2 billion in federal aid, the Robert M. Bass Group agrees to buy the United States's largest thrift, American Savings and Loan Association
- September 12 - Hurricane Gilbert devastated Jamaica, it turns towards Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula two days later causing an estimated $5 billion in damage.
- September 17 - Summer Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea open
- September 22 - Ocean Odyssey drilling rig suffers a blowout and fire in the North Sea. (See also July 6)
- September 29 - NASA resumes space shuttle flights, grounded after the Challenger disaster

October


- October 5 - Thousands riots in Algiers, Algeria against the government of National Liberation Front - by October 10 army has killed and tortured about 500 people in crushing the riots
- October 5 - Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet is defeated in a national plebiscite that sought to renew his mandate.
- October 11 - Women are allowed to study at Magdalene College, Cambridge, for the first time. Male students wear black armbands and the porter flies a black flag
- October 12 - two officers of the Victoria Police are gunned down executional style in the Walsh Street police shootings in Australia
- October 19 - United Kingdom bans broadcast interviews with IRA members. BBC gets around this by using actors' voices.
- October 28 - Abortion: 48 hours after announcing it was abandoning RU-486, French manufacturer Roussel Uclaf states that it would resume distribution of the drug, bowing to pressure from the government of France
- October 30 - Philip Morris buys Kraft Foods for US$13.1 billion.
- October 30 - Expo '88 in Brisbane Australia draws to a close after a 6 month spectacular.

November


- November 8 - U.S. presidential election, 1988: George Herbert Walker Bush is elected over Michael Dukakis.
- November 11 - In Sacramento, California, police find a body buried in the lawn of 60-year-old boardinghouse landlady Dorothea Puente (seven bodies were eventually found and Puente was convicted of three murders and sentenced to life in prison)
- November 15 - In the Soviet Union, the uncrewed Shuttle Buran is launched by an Energia rocket on her maiden orbital spaceflight (this was the first and last space flight for the shuttle)
- November 15 - Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: An independent State of Palestine is proclaimed by the Palestinian National Council meeting in Algiers, by a vote of 253 to 46
- November 16 - The Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR declares that Estonia is "sovereign" but stops short of declaring independence
- November 16 - In the first open election in more than a decade, voters in Pakistan choose populist candidate Benazir Bhutto to be Prime Minister
- November 17 - The Netherlands becomes the second country to get connected to the Internet
- November 18 - War on Drugs: US President Ronald Reagan signs a bill into law providing the death penalty for murderous drug traffickers
- November 21 - Canadian Federal Election: Brian Mulroney and the Progressive Conservative Party win a second majority government
- November 22 - In Palmdale, California, the first prototype B-2 Spirit stealth bomber is revealed
- November 30 - Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. buys RJR Nabisco for US$25.07 billion.

December

RJR Nabisco
- December 2 - Benazir Bhutto is sworn in as Prime Minister of Pakistan, becoming the first woman to head the government of an Islam-dominated state.
- December 2 - Cyclone in Bangladesh leaves 5 million homeless - thousands dead
- December 7 - In Armenia an earthquake 6.9 on the Richter scale killed nearly 25,000, injured 15,000 and left 400,000 persons homeless.
- December 12 - The Clapham Junction rail crash kills 35 and injures 132.
- December 19 - The Consumer Product Safety Commission bans the sale of lawn darts following the deaths of three children.
- December 20 - The United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances is signed at Vienna.
- December 21 - Pan Am flight 103 is blown up by Libyan terrorists over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 259 on board and 11 on the ground.
- December 22 - Assassination of Brazilian union and environmental activist Chico Mendes.

Environmental change


- Zebra mussels found in the Great lakes

Unknown dates


- Dave Barry won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary.
- Singer Fish leaves the band Marillion to pursue a solo career.
- Mickey Sadoff elected president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Births


- January 17 - Nikki Reed, American actress
- February 4 - Carly Patterson, American gymnast
- February 7 - Ai Kago, Japanese singer
- February 8 - Ryan Pinkston, American actor
- February 18 - Rihanna, Barbadian R&B singer
- February 27 - JD Natasha, Latin music artist
- March 25 - Erik Knudsen, Canadian actor
- March 27 - Brenda Song, American actress
- March 28 - Lacey Turner, English actress
- April 10 - Haley Joel Osment, American actor
- May 2 - Brooke Hogan, American singer
- June 1 - Nami Tamaki, Japanese singer
- June 7 - Michael Cera, Canadian actor
- June 27 - Kate Ziegler, American swimmer
- August 8 - Princess Beatrice of York
- August 23 - Niki Leinso, Croatian singer and songwriter
- August 24 - Rupert Grint, English actor
- August 27 - Alexa Vega, American actress
- August 31 - Megan McCauley, American singer
- September 24 - Kyle Sullivan, American actor
- September 26 - Marina Kuroki, Japanese actress
- October 5 - Bobby Edner, American actor
- October 23 - Caleigh Peters, American singer
- November 15 - Zena Grey, American actress
- November 21 - Jamie Mahoney, American actor and rapper
- November 28 - Scarlett Pomers, American actress
- December 7 - Emily Browning, Australian actress

Deaths


- January 2 - Edmund Brisco Ford, British geneticist (b. 1901)
- January 5 - Pete Maravich, American basketball player (b. 1947)
- January 7 - Trevor Howard, British actor (b. 1913)
- January 11 - Pappy Boyington, American pilot (b. 1912)
- January 13 - Chiang Ching-kuo, President of the Republic of China (b. 1910)
- January 14 - Georgi Malenkov, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party (b. 1902)
- January 15 - Seán MacBride, Irish Republican Army leader, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1904)
- January 16 - Ballard Berkeley, British actor (b. 1904)
- January 20 - Philippe de Rothschild, French vineyard owner (b. 1902)
- January 22 - Parker Fennelly, American comedian and actor (b. 1891)
- February 1 - Heather O'Rourke, American actress (b. 1975)
- February 15 - Richard Feynman, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918)
- February 19 - René Char, French poet (b. 1907)
- February 19 - André Frédéric Cournand, French-born physician, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1895)
- March 1 - Joe Besser, American actor and comedian (b. 1907)
- March 5 - Alberto Olmedo, Argentine comedian and actor (b. 1933)
- March 7 - Divine, American actor (b. 1945)
- March 8 - Henryk Szeryng, Polish-born violinist (b. 1918)
- March 9 - Kurt Georg Kiesinger, third Chancellor of Germany (b. 1904)
- March 10 - Andy Gibb, Australian singer (Bee Gees) (b. 1958)
- March 31 - William McMahon, twentieth Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1908)
- April 3 - Milt Caniff, American cartoonist (b. 1907)
- April 15 - Kenneth Williams, English actor and raconteur (b. 1926)
- April 23 - Michael Ramsey, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1904)
- April 26 - James McCracken, American tenor (b. 1926)
- May 3 - Lev Semenovich Pontryagin, Russian mathematician (b. 1908)
- May 8 - Robert A. Heinlein, American science fiction author (b. 1907)
- May 11 - Kim Philby, British spy (b. 1912)
- May 12 - Chet Baker, American jazz trumpeter (b. 1929)
- May 16 - Charles Keeping, British illustrator (b. 1924)
- May 18 - Daws Butler, voice actor (b. 1916)
- May 21 - Sammy Davis, Sr., American dancer (b. 1900)
- May 25 - Ernst Ruska, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1906)
- June 25 - Hillel Slovak, Israeli-born guitarist (Red Hot Chili Peppers) (b. 1962)
- July 8 - Ray Barbuti, American athlete (b. 1905)
- July 27 - Frank Zamboni, American inventor (b. 1901)
- August 8 - Ramon Valdez, Mexican actor (b. 1923)
- August 11 - Anne Ramsey, American actress (b. 1929)
- August 17 - Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Jr., American lawyer and politician (b. 1914)
- August 17 - Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, leader of Pakistan (b. 1924)
- August 27 - William Sargant, British psychiatrist (b. 1907)
- September 1 - Luis Alvarez, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)
- September 5 - Gert Fröbe, German actor (b. 1913)
- September 28 - Charles Addams, American cartoonist (b. 1912)
- October 1 - Sacheverell Sitwell, English writer (b. 1897)
- October 15 - Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji, English composer and pianist (b. 1892)
- October 19 - Son House, American musician (b. 1902)
- October 22 - Henry Armstrong, American boxer (b. 1912)
- October 31 - John Houseman, Romanian-born actor and producer (b. 1902)
- November 9 - John N. Mitchell, U.S. Attorney General and convicted Watergate criminal (b. 1913)
- November 13 - Antal Dorati, Hungarian conductor (b. 1906)
- November 19 - Christina Onassis, American shipping magnate (b. 1950)
- December 2 - Tata Giacobetti, Italian singer and lyricist (Quartetto Cetra) (b. 1922)
- December 6 - Roy Orbison, American singer (b. 1936)
- December 21 - Nikolaas Tinbergen, Dutch ornithologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1907)

Nobel Prizes


- Physics - Leon M. Lederman, Melvin Schwartz, Jack Steinberger
- Chemistry - Johann Deisenhofer, Robert Huber, Hartmut Michel
- Medicine - Sir James W. Black, Gertrude B. Elion, George H. Hitchings
- Literature - Naguib Mahfouz
- Peace - The United Nations Peace-Keeping Forces.
- The Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel - Maurice Allais

Templeton Prize


- Dr. Inamullah Khan

Right Livelihood Award


- International Rehabilitation and Research Centre for Torture Victims / Dr. Inge Kemp Genefke
- José Lutzenberger
- John F. Charlewood Turner
- Sahabat Alam Malaysia / Mohamed Idris, Harrison Ngau, the Penan people.

Fictional references


- The 2001 movie Donnie Darko is set in October 1988 Category:1988 als:1988 ko:1988년 ja:1988年 simple:1988 th:พ.ศ. 2531

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (محمود احمدی‌نژاد; born October 28, 1956), also written Ahmadinezhad, is the sixth President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He has been president since August 3, 2005. Ahmadinejad was the mayor of Tehran from May 3, 2003 until June 28, 2005 when he was elected president. He is widely considered to be a religious conservative with Islamist and populist views. Ahmadinejad was a civil engineer and a professor at the Iran University of Science and Technology before his mayorship. Politically, Ahmadinejad is a member of the Central Council of the Islamic Society of Engineers [http://www.hamshahri.org/hamnews/1383/830406/news/siasi.htm#s34989], but he has a more powerful base inside the Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran (also known as Abadgaran). Ahmadinejad is considered one of the main figures in the alliance. The alliance was divided in supporting him and Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in the first round of the presidential election, and while the members of the City Council of Tehran supported Ahmadinejad, the parliamentary representatives of Tehran supported Ghalibaf.

Election

Ahmadinejad was elected President of Iran on June 24, 2005, in the second round of the 2005 presidential election over his rival, former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Ahmadinejad won with 61.69% of about twenty-eight million votes with an official turnout of about 59.6%, in an election his opponents claim were marred by allegations of voter fraud. Before the first round of voting, some 1,000 candidates were disqualified by the Iranian Council of Guardians, leaving seven candidates to officially run in the first round. However, some basic requirements, such as being an experienced politician, are checked after registration, and people without qualifications are not banned from registering. Rafsanjani had won the highest number of votes in the first round, while Ahmadinejad had secured 19.48% of the votes as the runner-up. Ahmadinejad's win was attributed to the popularity of his simple lifestyle and populist views amongst the poor and lower classes which viewed him as an alternative to Rafsanjani. Proponents see him as a modest well-educated religious man whose power has not corrupted him. They claim that he has strong and wide support among both ordinary and educated people in the country, and that he has chosen the most educated government of Iran compared to the previous presidents.

Platform

Ahmadinejad has generally sent mixed signals about his plans for his presidency, which some US-based analysts consider to have been designed to attract both religious conservatives and the lower economic classes. His campaign motto was "It's possible and we can do it" (می‌شود و می‌توانیم). In his presidential campaign, Ahmadinejad took a populist approach, with emphasis on his own simple life, and had compared himself with Mohammad Ali Rajai, the second President of Iran — a claim that raised objections from Rajai's family. Ahmadinejad claims he plans to create an "exemplary government for the world people" in Iran. He is a self-described principlist; that is, acting politically based on Islamic and revolutionary principles. One of his goals is "putting the petroleum income on people's tables", referring to Iran's oil profits being distributed amongst the poor. Ahmadinejad was the only presidential candidate who spoke out against future relations with the United States. Also, in an interview with the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting a few days before the elections, Ahmadinejad accused the United Nations of being "one-sided, stacked against the world of Islam." He has openly opposed the veto power given to the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. In the same interview, he mentioned that "It is not just for a few states to sit and veto global approvals. Should such a privilege continue to exist, the Muslim world with a population of nearly 1.5 billion should be extended the same privilege." In addition, he has defended Iran's nuclear program and has accused "a few arrogant powers" of attempting to limit Iran's industrial and technological development in this and other fields. In a question by a Shargh journalist about the release of political prisoners in case he becomes president, Ahmadinejad answered with a question: "Which political prisoners? The political prisoners in the United States?" After his election he proclaimed, "Thanks to the blood of the martyrs, a new Islamic revolution has arisen and the Islamic revolution of 1384 [the current Iranian year] will, if God wills, cut off the roots of injustice in the world." He said, "The wave of the Islamic revolution will soon reach the entire world." [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,251-1674547,00.html] During his campaign for the second round, he said, "We didn't participate in the revolution for turn-by-turn government [...] This revolution tries to reach a world-wide government" [http://news.gooya.com/president84/archives/031426.php]. Also he has mentioned that he has an extended program on fighting terrorism in order to improve foreign relations and has called for greater ties with Iran's neighbours and ending visa requirements between states in the region, saying that "People should visit anywhere they wish freely. People should have freedom in their pilgrimages and tours."

Personal life and service

Born in the Arādān village near Garmsar, the son of a blacksmith, his family moved to Tehran when he was one year old. He entered Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST) as an undergraduate student of civil engineering in 1976. He continued his studies in the same university, entering the MSc program for civil engineering in 1986, the same time he joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (see below), and finally receiving his PhD in Traffic and transportation engineering and planning. The graduate program was a special program for the Revolutionary Guards members funded by the organization itself. After graduation, Ahmadinejad became a professor at the civil engineering department at IUST. In 1979, Ahmadinejad was the head representative of IUST to the unofficial student gatherings that occasionally met with the Ayatollah Khomeini. In these sessions, the foundations of the first Office for Strengthening Unity (daftar-e tahkim-e vahdat), the student organization of which several members behind seizure of the United States embassy which led to the Iran hostage crisis, were created. Ahmadinejad became a member of the Office of Strengthening Unity. Before the seizure of the embassy, Ahmadinejad had suggested a simultaneous or similar attempt against the Soviet Union embassy, but was voted down, resulting in independent pursuit of the idea by its proponents. During the Iran-Iraq war, Ahmadinejad joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in 1986. After training at the headquarters, he saw action in extraterritorial covert operations against Kirkuk, Iraq. Later he also became the head engineer of the sixth army of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and the head of the Corps' staff in the western provinces of Iran. After the war, he served as vice governor and governor of Maku and Khoy, an Advisor to the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, and the governor of the then newly established Ardabil province from 1993 to October 1997.

Early political career

Ardabil province in his visit to Tehran in 2004. In the visit, Chávez was welcomed with a new statue of Simon Bolivar, Venezuela's national hero, in the Goft-o-gou park in Tehran.]] Ahmadinejad was mostly an unknown figure in Iranian politics until he was elected Mayor of Tehran by the second City Council of Tehran on May 3, 2003, after a 12% turnout led to the election of the conservative candidates of Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran in Tehran. During his mayorship, he reversed many of the changes put into effect by previous moderate and reformist mayors, putting serious religious emphasis on the activities of the cultural centers founded by previous mayors, going on the record with the separation of elevators for men and women in the municipality offices [http://entekhab.ir/display/?ID=2648] and suggesting that the bodies of those killed in the Iran-Iraq war be buried in major city squares of Tehran. Such actions were coupled with popular acts, such as distributing free soup to the poor. As the Mayor of Tehran, Ahmadinejad also became the manager in charge of the daily newspaper Hamshahri, dismissing Mohammad Atrianfar as the editor and replacing him with Alireza Sheikh-Attar. Ahmadinejad subsequently fired Sheikh-Attar on June 13, 2005, a few days before the presidential elections, for not supporting him for the post, replacing Sheikh-Attar with Ali Asghar Ash'ari, a previous Vice Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance during the ministership of Mostafa Mirsalim. He fired Nafiseh Kouhnavard, one of Hamshahri's journalists, for asking Khatami about the "red lines" of the regime and illegal parallel intelligence agencies, a question Ahmadinejad didn't consider appropriate. Kouhnavard was later accused of by hard-liners of spying for Turkey and the Republic of Azerbaijan. [http://www.freebatebi.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1098623651&archive=1099862786&start_from=&ucat=&do=archives] Ahmadinejad is known to have quarreled with Khatami, who then barred him from attending meetings of the Board of Ministers, a privilege usually extended to mayors of Tehran. He has publicly criticized Khatami for ignorance of the daily problems of the general public. After two years as Tehran mayor, Ahmadinejad was shortlisted in a list of sixty-five finalists for World Mayor 2005 [http://www.worldmayor.com/voting05/intro05.html] out of the 550 nominated mayors. Only nine mayors were from Asia. Ahmadinejad resigned from his post as the mayor of Tehran after his election to the presidency. His resignation was accepted on June 28 2005 and in September 2005, the Tehran City Council elected Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf with 8 out of 15 votes as the 12th Mayor of Tehran.

Presidency

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, on August 1, 2005]] Ahmadinejad became the president of Iran on August 3, 2005, receiving the approval of Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, during which celebration he kissed the hand of Khamenei, the first Iranian president who has kissed Khamenei's hand and the second Iranian president to kiss a supreme leader's hand (the first was Mohammad Ali Rajai, who kissed the Ayatollah Khomeini's hand). Ahmadinejad was widely perceived at the time of his election to be Khamenei's protege.[http://roozonline.com/01newsstory/009123.shtml]. In the first announcement after his presidency, Ahmadinejad asked the public servants not to post his photographs and pictures in governmental offices and use the pictures and photos of Ayatollah Khomeini and Ayatollah Khamenei only. Ahmadinejad completed the requisite ceremonies of becoming president on August 6, when he took vow before the Majlis to protect Iran's official religion (Shia Islam), the Islamic Republic regime, constitution. From August 3 to August 6, Mohammad Reza Aref, Khatami's First Vice President, was Acting President.

Ahmadinejad's ministers

Ahmadinejad was required to introduce his suggested ministers to Majlis for a vote of approval in fifteen days, after which Majlis would have one week to decide about the ministers. It was mentioned by Masoud Zaribafan, Ahmadinejad's campaign manager, that Ahmadinejad would probably introduce his cabinet on the same day of his vow, which did not happen, but the list was finally sent to the Majlis on August 14. The Majlis were set to vote on the suggested ministers by August 21. The parliament had held a private meeting on August 5, when Ahmadinejad presented a shortlist of three or four candidates for each ministry, to know the opinion of Majlis about his candidates. A news website close to Ahmadinejad published a partial list of Ahmadinejad's decisions based on the feedback, which was updated and changed a few times [http://www.khedmat.ir/comments.asp?id=478]. The final list was officially sent to the Majlis on August 14, 2005. After a few days of heavy discussions in Majlis, which started on August 21, 2005, Ahmadinejad's cabinet was voted for on August 24, 2005, and became the first cabinet since the Iranian revolution in not winning a complete vote of approval. Four candidates, for the ministries of Cooperatives, Education, Petroleum, and Welfare and Social Security, all previous colleagues of Ahmadinejad in the Municipality of Tehran, were voted down. The other candidates became ministers. The list of suggested ministers and their votes went [http://president.ir/ahmadinejad/cronicnews/1384/06/02/index-f.htm#b3]: The new board of ministers held its first meeting on August 25 in Mashhad, promising to keep frequent meetings to cities other than the capital, Tehran. Temporary supervisors for two of the four ministries without new ministers were appointed by Ahmadinejad on August 27, Mohammad Nazemi Ardakani for the Ministry of Cooperatives and Davoud Madadi for the Ministry of Welfare and Social Security.

Reza Love Fund

Ahmadinejad's first piece of legislation to emerge from his newly formed government was a 12 trillion rial (1.3 billion American Dollars) "Reza Love Fund [http://roozonline.com/01newsstory/012137.shtml]", which was named after one of Shiite Islam's Imams. By tapping into Iran's huge oil revenues, Ahmadinejad's government plans to use this fund in order to help young people get a job, get married, and get a home. The fund also sought charitable donations, and includes boards of trustees in each of Iran's 30 provinces. The new plan is subject to the approval of the conservative-held parliament, but is seen as unlikely to encounter strong opposition given deputies in the Majlis have also shown an eagerness to focus on resolving economic problems. This piece of legislation was in response to the costly housing in urban centres which is pushing up the national average marital age, which currently is around 25 for women and 28 for men. This was the first example of Ahmadinejad's attempting to fulfill his promise of "bringing oil money to the Iranian people's plates".

Opposition and allegations

Many reformist and independent political parties, including some of those who boycotted the first round of the presidential election, have called for an alliance against Ahmadinejad, calling it "a national alliance against fascism". For example, IIPF has asked for people voting in the second round to "prevent the danger of a rise of religious fascism" and the Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization. [http://roozonline.com/01newsstory/007958.shtml] Critics, including some independent ones, have mentioned that while there are some similarities between the actions and rising of supporters of Ahmadinejad with those of fascism, the movement differs because it is neither nationalistic nor racist and lacks corporatism. Many critics call his political platform "fictional socialism." On June 29, 2005, shortly after Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won the Iranian presidential election, several major western news outlets have publicized various allegations against him. These include charges that he participated heavily in the 1979-1981 Iran Hostage Crisis, assassinations of Kurdish politicians in Austria, and executions of political prisoners in the Evin prison in Tehran. Ahmadinejad and his political supporters have denied these allegations. Additionally, a number of Ahmadinejad's political opponents in Iran have specifically denied allegations of his participation in the Iran Hostage Crisis. In July of 2005, US President George W. Bush declared that these charges were serious and must be investigated; as of the end of July, the US government continues investigating the charges (Reuters). The Iranian government stated that the allegations circulating against Ahmadinejad in the Western media are merely part of a smear campaign orchestrated by the United States and what Iranian officials have referred to as "Zionist media," directed against Ahmadinejad in specific and Iran in general. As of July of 2005, no independent commission has surfaced to investigate these charges and pronounce its findings. From before the second round of the election, in late July 2005, there have also been allegations of political corruption from Ahmadinejad's political opponents in Iran, especially from the reformists.

Alleged involvement in the 1979 Hostage Crisis

With Ahmadinejad's recent publicity, former U.S. hostages Dr. William Daugherty (who worked for the CIA in Iran), Kevin Hermening, David Roeder, US Army Col. Charles Scott (Ret.), and US Navy Capt. Donald Sharer (Ret.) have alleged that Ahmadinejad was one of the leaders of the Iran Hostage Crisis at the U.S. embassy in Tehran, during their 444-day captivity