Behesht-e Zahra Cemetery Tehran

Iran's largest cemetery in southern Tehran — 1.3 million graves, war memorial, and site of Khomeini's first speech in 1979.

Behesht-e Zahra, meaning "Paradise of Zahra" in Persian, is Iran's largest cemetery and the world's second-largest by burial count, with over 1.3 million graves across 424 hectares in southern Tehran. The site carries deep national significance: in February 1979, Ayatollah Khomeini delivered his first speech to the Iranian people here after returning from exile, and a vast section honours soldiers killed in the Iran-Iraq War of 1980–1988. The cemetery is connected to the city by Tehran Metro Line 1 and remains an active place of mourning and collective remembrance.