On December 26, the spokesperson for Tehran’s municipality announced the cancellation of a decision, made by the city council just days earlier, to rename Behistun Street in Tehran to “Martyr Yahya Sinwar Street.” The street was named after Mount Behistun in western Iran, home to the Behistun Inscription. This multilingual inscription (in Babylonian, Elamite, and Old Persian) was commissioned by King Darius I in 521 BCE, and the mountain has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The decision to reverse the street name change came following sharp public criticism. Critics argued that the city council’s decision demonstrated disrespect for Iran’s rich cultural heritage and ancient civilization. They claimed that renaming the street—especially in honor of a Hamas leader who is not Iranian—undermines public trust, disregards citizens’ sentiments, and ignores their desire to preserve their cultural identity. Some critics stated that even if Sinwar deserves commemoration in Tehran, it should not come at the expense of a street name representing Iran’s cultural heritage.
One prominent critic was Narges Soleimani, a member of Tehran’s city council and the daughter of former Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani. According to her, the name “Behistun” represents a significant connection to Iranian culture and literature, and altering it disrespects the united will of citizens to preserve their history and culture.
Street renaming in Iran often reflects efforts by different factions to shape collective historical memory according to their worldview, frequently sparking public debate. The negative reactions to the proposed street name change in Tehran highlight the tension within Iranian society between an Islamic-religious identity and a national-cultural Persian identity. This also reflects a growing trend among segments of the population to emphasize the pre-Islamic Persian element of Iranian nationalism as a counterbalance to the religious-Islamic identity promoted by the state.Raz Zimmt
The city council’s decision to reverse the renaming may indicate an increased willingness by Iranian authorities to consider public opinion in an effort to narrow the gap between the regime and the general population. This trend, which intensified following the fall of Assad’s regime in Syria, was recently evident in suspending the enforcement of the hijab law (which aimed to impose severe sanctions on women not adhering to dress codes) and in lifting restrictions on WhatsApp and Google Play services by Iran’s Supreme Council for Internet Supervision last week.
On December 26, the spokesperson for Tehran’s municipality announced the cancellation of a decision, made by the city council just days earlier, to rename Behistun Street in Tehran to “Martyr Yahya Sinwar Street.” The street was named after Mount Behistun in western Iran, home to the Behistun Inscription. This multilingual inscription (in Babylonian, Elamite, and Old Persian) was commissioned by King Darius I in 521 BCE, and the mountain has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The decision to reverse the street name change came following sharp public criticism. Critics argued that the city council’s decision demonstrated disrespect for Iran’s rich cultural heritage and ancient civilization. They claimed that renaming the street—especially in honor of a Hamas leader who is not Iranian—undermines public trust, disregards citizens’ sentiments, and ignores their desire to preserve their cultural identity. Some critics stated that even if Sinwar deserves commemoration in Tehran, it should not come at the expense of a street name representing Iran’s cultural heritage.
One prominent critic was Narges Soleimani, a member of Tehran’s city council and the daughter of former Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani. According to her, the name “Behistun” represents a significant connection to Iranian culture and literature, and altering it disrespects the united will of citizens to preserve their history and culture.
Street renaming in Iran often reflects efforts by different factions to shape collective historical memory according to their worldview, frequently sparking public debate. The negative reactions to the proposed street name change in Tehran highlight the tension within Iranian society between an Islamic-religious identity and a national-cultural Persian identity. This also reflects a growing trend among segments of the population to emphasize the pre-Islamic Persian element of Iranian nationalism as a counterbalance to the religious-Islamic identity promoted by the state.Raz Zimmt
The city council’s decision to reverse the renaming may indicate an increased willingness by Iranian authorities to consider public opinion in an effort to narrow the gap between the regime and the general population. This trend, which intensified following the fall of Assad’s regime in Syria, was recently evident in suspending the enforcement of the hijab law (which aimed to impose severe sanctions on women not adhering to dress codes) and in lifting restrictions on WhatsApp and Google Play services by Iran’s Supreme Council for Internet Supervision last week.