Squatting in Iran

Country marked in green
Iran on the globe
refer to caption
Informal settlement in Mashhad
Shack housing within a larger building, children playing
Squatters in Tehran

Squatting in Iran mostly occurs around the major cities, as rural migrants move to urban centres. From the 1950s onwards shanty towns have been set up and inhabitants are known as "koukhnishinan". Following the Iranian Revolution of 1979, squatter settlements increased, with the state sometimes evicting and sometimes legalizing the areas.