It was even the place where my khâleh (maternal aunt) met my dad when my parents were still dating. Growing up, my mom always talked about Lalezar in particular: the cinemas she and her friends and family would go to, the cafes she and my dad went to on their secret dates, the horse-drawn carriages, the shops where she used to buy sewing supplies and buttons. A different regime and smaller population made it a different world, one that I’ve longed to see only because it seems so inconceivable compared to the Tehran I know now. Tehran of the 50s, 60s, and 70s, the Tehran of my parents (and even before that), has always fascinated me. “You mean the old Lalezar? Huh, that’s strange.” “Lalezar?” she asked as if surely she had misheard. My mom and I needed a lamp, and we were told that the lamp and chandelier stores were on Lalezar.
My first encounter with Tehran’s District 12 (my favorite area of the city) was actually on Lalezar Street. The content and pictures remain the same. Only the title was changed from the original, L is for Lalezar. Updated: 18 July 2019 This post was chosen as one of 5 top posts from September 2017 for Lonely Planet Pathfinders.