Tehran University and its surrounding areas became the center of educational and cultural activities. Scores of bookstores mushroomed in front of the main gate of the university and turned the sidewalks into the most crowded in the city, a resource for the later political unrest. The trees in the picture look alive and fresh thanks to the light traffic and little smog. Behind the red taxi cabs on the right side of the street, first is a cab of Tehran's dispatch taxi system (in black and white), and behind it is probably one of the early arrivals of the American automobile industry in Iran!

Today: The crowd is incredible nowadays walking on the southern sidewalk of the street (to the left of the picture). Tehran University has out-grown its original area and has moved several departments to new buildings off its main campus. The trees somehow manage to continue their photosythesis process despite the thick layer of smog all over them.The taxis are orange, mostly Paykan (Iranian-brand sedan car) taking passengers only for short-distance straight trips. The black band on the dispatch taxis has narrowed down to a few inches. And the American car industry never really managed to infiltrate into Iran's market in light of European favorites BMW and Mercedes.