Oudlajan is amongst the oldest neighborhoods of Tehran. Its inhabitants spoke a dialect that was very much akin to that of
Shemiran. The neighborhood is situated in the northeastern part of old Tehran. Notable landmarks are the Tehran city fort situated to the north and east of Oudladan, the royal citadel to the west, the Chaleh Maidan neighborhood to the south, and the Bazaar neighborhood to the southwest. The
Jews of Tehran settled in this neighborhood due to the presence of synagogues, ritual baths and availability of kosher meat. However, only the
Hakim Asher and
Ezra Yaghoub synagogues have survived. Most of the people living in Oudlajan were
Jewish. In addition there were
Zoroastrians living in Oudlajan. Many famous Iranian politicians such as
Qavam family,
Mostowfi Family, Nasiroldoleh,
Seyyed Hassan Modarres lived in Oudlajan. The houses with many rooms around a yard (with a small pool in the middle) were called Ghamar khanoom houses. Oudlajan was the wealthiest neighborhood in the
Qajar era and kept its status until the
Pahlavi era. However, with the
big changes in Iranian society in 1340 AH it gradually lost its status. The biggest obstacle to Oudlajan today is the expansion of the Bazar neighborhood. This trend has changed Oudlajan from a wealthy neighborhood into a storage area for Bazar and many old houses were turned into places for addicts. == References ==