Tehran is known as both an exclusive and also oppressive place, meaning that it has an allure of being the most cultured experience of Iran, but also being the leadership centre of a country that is rarely understood, even by its own people.
It’s also said to be a closely guarded place, with much of the infrastructure of the country in terms of its security focusing directly on this one place.
While there are parts to Iran that are richly cultural and deeply welcoming, most of it is said to be under the control of a political, secular, and religious elite that forms in the capital under various titles.
This is because its focus is on the population. There aren’t many ambitions for invasion in the region, and it’s believed internal security compromises have more to do with the groups that make up the ethnic and national identity.
This closed statehood is thought by many to be a unique feature in the Middle East. It’s very different from States in the Western world. It doesn’t make sense to people who aren’t used to living in its reach, or have to work their way around its localities by following its rules.
