Darband was formerly a village close to Tajrish, Shemiran, and is now a neighbourhood inside Tehran's city limits. It is the beginning of a very popular hiking trail into the Alborz mountain Tochal, which towers over Tehran. A chair lift is also available for those not interested in hiking.
The Persian word (دربند Darband) means gateway or door (dar) of the mountain (band, a variation of vand and fand, meaning mountain).
Darband is where many Iranian giants of art and culture such as Iraj Mirza, Mohammad Taghi Bahar, Forough Farrokhzad, Abolhasan Saba, Ruhollah Khaleghi, Rahi Moayeri, and Darvish-khan are buried (Zahir o-dowleh cemetery).
Darband has a suitable climate all year round, and sees heavy snowfall every year.
The initial start of the trail at Darband is about 250 metres long and is dotted with a number of small cafes and restaurants. These are quite popular and are busy in the evenings, as locals and tourists alike visit the many hooka lounges (locally called ghavekhane sonnati) along the trail