Jordan, Tehran

Jordan (current official name: Africa Blvd) is the name of a popular avenue in Tehran, Iran. It is also the name of the district in Northern Tehran through which the avenue runs.

Location

Jordan is the most famous street in Tehran after Valiasr Avenue which is the longest street in Middle East, spanning a south-north axis. It is also famous for being one of the liveliest streets of Tehran, experiencing regular traffic jams even at 2:00am during the Summer.

The tree-lined boulevard is connected to Valiasr Avenue (ex-"Pahlavi Avenue") via crossing streets branching from its west side while the east side leads to culs de sacs bordering Modarres Expressway.

Characteristics

Although its reputation as being the most prestigious residential area is now overtaken by some areas further north like Zafaraniyeh, Elahiyeh, and Niavaran, it is nevertheless still home to very expensive real estate and an essential playground for the rich (especially the "noveau riche" type) with many boutique shopping centers, chic cafes and restaurants, extravagant florists, art galleries, beauty salons, language schools, etc, the ultimate place to see and to be seen for fashionable Tehranis who have a desire to show off their possessions.

Rendezvous boys and girls, cruising the streets in cars during evening hours specially on Friday afternoons, are an indispensable part of Jordan's image and the car-flirting culture there has developed into an accomplished syllabus through the time.

The area, together with its neighbouring Valiasr Ave, is suffering from severe traffic congestion due to the closed circulation, imposed on it by the lack of direct access to the highways, and being home to Mellat(ex-"Shahanshahi") Park, which is popular with middle-class Tehranis, who frequent it from even long distances.

It is also the home to Spanish, Polish, Mexican, Uruguayan, Brunei and some Arab embassies and once the developments in the south end of the boulevard are completed, many ministries plan to relocate there.

History

The avenue was named after Dr. Samuel Jordan, the founder and the head of the American College of Tehran (later Alborz High School) from the 1910s to 1941.

Although the name has officially been changed to "Africa Blvd.", this new name is seldom used colloquially.

ee also

*US-Iran relations
*Tehran Province