Pasdaran (Persian: پاسداران) is a neighborhood of northern Tehran centered on Pasdaran Avenue. This avenue connects Niavaran avenue (from the north) to Shariati avenue (in the south). It is about 8–9 km long and is a major commercial thoroughfare for northern Tehran together with northern parts of two other long streets: Valiasr Street and Shariati Street.
Pasdaran in Persian means "guardians". Prior to 1979 Revolution this neighborhood was known as Saltanat Abad (سلطنت آباد), which means "built by the monarchy", and refers to the palace of the Shah (Mohammad Reza Pahlavi), situated at the northernmost tip of this street.
Pasdaran Ave., along with the network of streets that extend out from it, make up the Pasdaran Neighborhood of Tehran, which includes areas like Farmaniye, Darrous, Rostam Abad, Saltanat Abad, Zarrabkhaneh, Mehran, Ekhtiyariyeh, Ehteshamiyeh, Doulat, Dibaji, and Chizar.
Although business and commerce is part of a trend towards increasing urbanity in the district (mainly witnessed along the district's northern edge near Farmaniye), the majority of the area's housing remains relatively suburban in nature, consisting mostly of mansions (often stereotypically Persian palaces) and townhomes or duplexes.
