The Best Street in the World

“Nothing could be more interesting than Nevsky Boulevard, at least in St. Petersburg, where that is the case; indeed, this boulevard is everything and everything, its brilliance is dazzling, it is the jewel of our capital.”

The above sentence is taken from Nikolai Gogol’s story “Nevsky Boulevard.” Simply replace St. Petersburg with Tehran, and Nevsky Boulevard with Enghelab Street (from Enghelab Square to Vesal Intersection), and my point will be made.

When autumn arrives, Enghelab Street gradually comes to life. The sidewalk opposite the university fills with students who, sometimes alone, sometimes in pairs, and sometimes in groups, pass by the university railings, coming and going. If you ask me where the best place in Tehran is, I will say Enghelab Street, from Vesal Intersection to Enghelab Square itself; here there is everything, and all sorts of people come and go, from the first-term student from a provincial town to the elderly man and woman who, remembering their youthful years and street demonstrations, walk side by side. Here you can see the religious youth with a stubble beard and the mustachioed youth in a green jacket; among the street vendors’ wares, you can find a photo of Shariati, Che Guevara, Sartre, and possibly Marilyn Monroe. This is a place where, if your heart feels heavy, you can zip up your jacket, put your hands in your pockets, perhaps light a cigarette, and stroll along its sidewalk, enjoying the mix of colors and people.

If you set off from Vesal, first there is Café France with its cheap chocolate milk and warm pastries, then Mola Publications with its abundance of books, especially philosophy and mysticism. Opposite Mola, across the street on the corner of Esko Alley, is Ofoq Bookstore with an almost complete collection of novels and plays; you can buy a book right there, enter Café Honar inside the alley, have a drink, and read a book. Next to Ofoq is Sepideh Cinema with its half-price tickets; and then there is the University of Tehran, with railings that separate you from several generations of learning, passion, and demonstrations. Opposite the University of Tehran, Kharazmi, Amir Kabir, and Elmi Farhangi, and then Forouzandeh Passage, and after that, Agah, are all lined up next to each other. Opposite them, the sidewalk is full of street vendors selling banned books and occasionally procuring theses and articles for their enthusiasts. But Enghelab is not just bookstores; it is a row of cafés and restaurants: from Café Godot, which is near Valiasr Intersection, to Café Alma and other cafés that change their names every so often and see a new manager; cafés and restaurants where you can sit for hours, smoke a cigarette, listen to music, read a book, chat with a friend, drink a coffee, or even satisfy a midday hunger.

This is the best street in Tehran; if you are one of its people.

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The Best Street in the World

Author: Vahid Hallaj

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