It is extremely difficult for those who know Iran today to imagine the country before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Especially when looking at photos taken from the streets of Tehran in the 1960s and 70s, a completely different Iran emerges.
According to Modern.az, during those years, the country was rapidly modernizing, and the capital openly felt the influence of Western culture, fashion, and urban life.
The traces of this were more evident in women's clothing. It was common to see women walking in the streets wearing skirts, dresses, jackets, trousers, short-sleeved shirts, and various modern outfits. Young girls followed hairstyles and clothes fashionable in Europe and the USA, while fashion magazines and films significantly influenced the spread of these trends.
But it wasn't just about clothing. Young people spending time in restaurants and cafes are visible in photos from that period. Women and girls could also go to restaurants and cafes alongside men.
Foreign cars, modern shops, cinemas, and restaurants operated on the streets of Tehran. In some neighborhoods of the city, a lifestyle similar to European cities had formed. In the early 1960s, even rock-n-roll nights were held in Tehran, where young people enjoyed music and dancing. Ski resorts like Shemshak and Abali became recreational spots for the wealthy and middle classes.
However, it cannot be said that the entire society in pre-Islamic Revolution Iran lived the same lifestyle. At that time, there were also traditional and religious segments of society in the country. Significant differences existed between the city and the countryside, and between the rich and the poor. Alongside women in modern clothing, it was possible to encounter women wearing chadors on the streets. Photo archives particularly well illustrate this contradiction.
According to foreign sources, alcoholic beverages were not completely forbidden in Iran in the 1960s and 70s as they are today. On the contrary, during the Pahlavi era, alcohol was legally sold and consumed: it was possible to find drinks in restaurants, hotels, and bars in Tehran and other major cities.
In 1970s Tehran, women dressed freely, went to cinemas and restaurants, drinks were sold in bars, and local wine was produced in the country...
After the 1979 revolution, the Islamic Republic banned alcohol for Muslims.
In fact, after the revolution in 1979, the social landscape of Iran changed dramatically. The new government imposed mandatory rules on women's clothing, and in subsequent years, the hijab became an inseparable mandatory element of Iranian public life.
For this reason, photos of Tehran from the 1960s and 70s look particularly interesting today.
Modern.az presents photos of Iran from the 60s and 70s from the photo archives of foreign sources:
A.Gorkhmaz
