Iran is a country divided. Following the disputed election held in June 2009, that division was symbolised by a single street: Vali asr Avenue, the spine of Tehran. At one end, supporters of incumbent president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have rallied in his support. At the other, massive crowds have come out in support of Mir-Hossein Mousavi, the liberal candidate who many believe was cheated in the recent presidential election. The avenue was built in the 1930s to link Reza Shah Pahlavi's Marble Palace to his summer residence at Saadabad in the foothills to the north of Tehran. Some people still call it Pahlavi Avenue, which was its name until the 1979 revolution that deposed the Shah. After a brief interlude as Mossadeq Street (in homage to nationalist prime minister Mohammad Mossadeq) it became Vali asr Avenue, a reference to the 12th Shia Imam. It has a claim to being the longest city street in the world, stretching for twenty kilometres and traversing the city from the more modern and liberal north to the conservative and poorer south. During my visit to Iran in May 2008, I strolled down Vali asr Avenue in search of the contrasts described by David Ignatius in his book The Increment: “The avenue rises in the burly districts of downtown, where rage against the unbelievers is nurtured and sustained every Friday at prayers, and it ascends mile by mile till it reaches the heights of Jamaran, where one might think, to look at the Parisian fashions and big German cars, that the unbelievers are everywhere. But that is wrong: atop these hills are the secrets of modern Iran, a nation whose very identity is in some ways a fabric of lies. Nothing along this avenue is quite what it appears to be.” Tehran’s Broken Spine by Espen Rasmussen  IRAN, Tehran.  View of the northern parts of Tehran. There are huge differences between the modern and rich north and the conservative and much poorer south.  It has been more than 30 years since the islamic revolution in Iran. Today, there are more than 50 millions Iranians, or 70 percent, that are under the age of 30. They live between the old and traditional system and the modern Iran with internet, music and sms. And they experience huge differences in the society. Women dressed traditionally in Vali asr Avenue in the southern part of Tehran. Street scene from Vali asr Avenue. Relatives and family gathered for funeral. This is the main graveyard in the south of Tehran. It is the only graveyard for the city of 14 million people. There are several hundred funerals here every day. The main graveyard in the south of Tehran. Early morning rush hour in the modern northern parts of Tehran. In the north, the women dress more liberally and one can find modern western style shops and advertising billboards. The main graveyard in the south of Tehran. There are around 200 funerals here every day, making it a busy place, packed with mourning men and women. Women in the bazar in the central part of Tehran. The bazar is important not only for shopping, but also for the sharing of political views. Men outside the mosque in the Fatima sacracy in Qom. The prayers have just finished and men meet to talk. Funeral in the graveyard in the main square in Qom. On the walls of the graveyard are pictures of martyrs from the war between Iran and Iraq. The Fatima sacracy in central Qom. It is one of the most holy of sites for the Iranians and tens of thousands come to the city every day. Qom is also the main center for the education of priests, both from Iran and from other countries. Women on the way to prayer in the mosques for the 12th imam, outside the city of Qom. Women wait for prayer in the mosque for the 12th imam just outside Qom. The Iranian authorities are rebuilding the mosque, making it more than double the original size. A procession of men at a funeral in the main square outside the Fatima sacracy in Qom. The men walk with the coffin through the sacracy before they end up at the graveyard. A man sleeps in the graveyard in central Qom, outside the Fatima sacracy. The pictures show martyrs from the war between Iran and Iraq. A women on the way to the mosque for the 12th imam outside the holy city of Qom. Sara Khosh Jamal has qualified for the Olympics in Beijing. She is training in taekwondo in the sportshall in Tehran together with some friends. "I think the most important thing about going to the Olympics is that it shows the world what we, female athletes, can do", says Sara. Woman playing golf in the northern parts of Tehran. Seven out of ten golf players in Iran are women. One of the best players is Nazanin Shahraki (17). Back to current issue