The Subtle East and the fashionable West: an American's photo tour of Iran in 1967

Before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran was completely different from what it is today. Women dressed in Western fashion, freely walking bareheaded through the streets of Tehran in the company of men. In the 60s, American photojournalist Harrison Forman came to the Iranian capital and took a series of colorful pictures of the daily life of its residents. See the amazing mixture of Eastern culture and Western progress in the vivid photos of the American further in our material.

Harrison Foreman came to Iran in 1967. Then the revolution was 12 years away, and the country looked completely different. The photographer captured the boiling life of Tehran in the pictures. Women walked the streets in colorful dresses with their heads uncovered, and men preferred strict suits. In addition to the Iranian capital, the American visited Persepolis, Isfahan and Mashhad, where ancient history, modern views on life and traditions that have been unshakable for centuries are miraculously intertwined.

Here are the bright retro shots of an American photojournalist, revealing the daily life of Iranians in the 60s of the last century.

Bazaar in Isfahan

A hand mill in which grain was ground with the help of a camel, in Isfahan

Part of the griffin-shaped column in Persepolis

Sugar beet harvesting in Isfahan

Oil extraction on a manual press in Isfahan

People at a bus stop in Tehran, 1967

Carpet demonstration at the bazaar in Isfahan

Copper craftsmen in Tehran

Vegetable shop in Tehran

Business people of Tehran

Street life in Tehran, 1967

Isfahan, sugar beet harvest

Pre-revolutionary Iran was not much different from uninhibited Europe: there was a movie about bandits, and girls in mini and much more. You can see this by watching the Iranian film posters of the 1970s.