Updated November 2026 We have refreshed the guide, added a note on Book City branches repaired after the spring 2026 strikes and pointed readers to the second-hand book strip on Enghelab Street.
The top bookstores in Tehran fall into three groups: the big chains such as Book City and Cheshmeh, a handful of upmarket shops in north Tehran malls, and hundreds of small independents and pavement sellers. Whether you want an English-language novel, a Persian dictionary, a children’s gift or a cheap second-hand paperback, you will find it somewhere in the capital. Here is where to start.
Tehran is a city of readers. Bookshops double as gift shops, cafés and meeting places, and many stock stationery, board games, toys and music alongside books. If you are after magazines and specialist titles, our older round-up of bookshops is still worth a look.
Book City (Shahr-e Ketab)
Book City is Iran’s largest bookshop chain, with close to 100 shops nationwide and dozens in Tehran, from Tajrish and Shahrak-e Gharb to Vanak, Pasdaran and Mirdamad. If you only visit one bookshop in the city, make it a Book City branch.
The flagship is the Central Book City on Shariati Street, a short way south of the Moallem Street junction. It is the most complete of the branches, with several floors of Persian titles, a foreign-language section that covers English, French, German, Russian and Spanish, and a café where you can sit with your purchases. Expect a good stock of stationery, art supplies, educational toys and gift items too, which makes it a reliable stop when you need a present at short notice.
Several branches run reading sessions, workshops and play activities for young children, so it is worth asking at your nearest shop if you have little ones. Six Tehran branches were damaged during the US-Israeli strikes in March 2026; according to Publishing Perspectives, most have since been repaired and reopened, though one shop was destroyed and two needed major rebuilding. Check that your local branch is open before making a special trip.
Cheshmeh
Cheshmeh is both a respected publisher of contemporary Persian fiction and translated literature and one of the city’s older bookshop chains. Its best-known shop sits on a prominent corner of Karim Khan Zand Street near Karim Khan Bridge and the Mirza Shirazi junction, and is easy to find. The shelves lean towards literature, poetry, philosophy and the arts, and the staff know their stock.
Cheshmeh also has a large branch in Kourosh Mall in west Tehran, which is handy if you are already shopping there. For atmosphere, though, the downtown shop is the one to visit. Karim Khan Street is lined with other bookshops and publishers, so set aside an hour to browse the strip, and if you are there at the weekend, combine it with the Friday bazaar next to Karim Khan Bridge.
Book Land
Book Land is a polished bookshop in Palladium Mall in Zafaraniyeh, north Tehran, with a second branch in Ava Center in Aqdasiyeh. It carries Persian and English titles, including plenty of translated international bestsellers, plus a wide range of children’s books and gifts.
It is a pleasant place to browse, but you pay for the setting: regulars say prices are noticeably higher than at ordinary bookshops, and specific titles are not always in stock. Treat it as a stop while you are at the mall rather than your first choice for hunting down a particular book.
Small independent bookshops
Away from the chains, Tehran has several hundred independent booksellers, from tiny shops on Valiasr Street to specialist stores that focus on art, law, medicine or foreign languages. Many are run by owners who have been in the trade for decades and will happily help you find a title, order something in or point you to a shop that has it. Some independents stock imported magazines and foreign-language books that the chains do not.
Prices for new books are printed on the cover, so there is little room for haggling, but independents sometimes give a small discount to regular customers. For a sense of what everyday items cost, see our Iran prices tracker.
Enghelab Street and street booksellers
The stretch of Enghelab Street opposite the University of Tehran is the city’s traditional book district. Dozens of shops sell textbooks, academic titles, dictionaries and second-hand books, and it is the best place in Tehran to find an out-of-print volume or a cheap used paperback.
You will also see street booksellers across central Tehran, some in small kiosks and others with books spread on a mat on the pavement. Their stock is unpredictable, which is half the fun. Bring cash or be ready to pay by card reader, and do not be shy about asking for a better price on second-hand books.
