Iran being situated on a series of seismic fault lines is an evident fact taking into consideration the frequency by which the country is struck by devastating earthquakes. The last one struck early Wednesday morning in the southern province of Hormozgan, injuring about 700 people. Since Tehran is also located on several fault lines, the country has started considering relocating the capital city!!!

When a 4.9 magnitude earthquake struck the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas at 2:56am Iranian time; residents rushed into the streets in panic. It was only last year when the region was hit by a 6.1 earthquake that killed 6 people and destroyed almost 200 villages.

No deaths were reported but 100 of the injured were hospitalized, while the other 600 had only minor injuries. Power and telephone lines were cut in Bandar Abbas, which is one of Iran's key ports and home to a large oil refinery. This brought to memory the 6.6 quake that had struck the southeastern city of Bam in the same region in 2003, killing then almost 26,000 people.

However, because Iran is situated on a series of seismic fault lines it experiences an average of at least one mild earthquake everyday. Tehran is very familiar with this fact. So if a strong earthquake hits the capital city, Iranian officials are worried it would create an enormous disaster.

Therefore, Iran’s leaders are considering plans to relocate their capital Tehran, which is currently home to more than 13 million people and is the largest city in the Middle East. In addition to being Iran's capital since 1795, which is also the political and economical heart of the country that is famous for its large museums, art centers, hiking and biking trails and beautiful landscapes.

The plan consists of relocating the capital to an area that is not exposed to earthquakes, like the area between Qom and Delijan in Markazi province. But since Qom is home to Iran's conservative Islamic establishment, this idea might prove hard to be applicable, so choosing the next capital city will definitely be a very difficult decision, especially since security, accessibility, facilities and resources will also have to be taken into consideration. 

The relocation of the capital will certainly be a hard, long and costly process; thus being a part of a long-term strategy that is supposed to end by 2025. But before the relocation can begin they need numerous approvals from several government bodies, that are aware that "A new city generally takes 10 to 20 years to build, and a century or more to mature”.

Mohammad Hashemi, member of the Expediency Council, hopes that this move will bring economic prosperity and cultural diversification to the city chosen for relocation, so the determination in official's voices about this topic, brings up the question; is Tehran nearing its end as a capital?

If yes, then Iran will be joining Brazil who moved its capital in 1961 from Rio de Janeiro to Brasilia; Nigeria moved its capital in 1991 from Lagos to Abuja; Germany moved its capital from Bonn to Berlin; Kazakhstan moved its capital in 1997 from Almaty to Astana; while Cote d’Ivoire moved its capital from Abidjan to Yamoussoukro.