“We cater to what people desire to do: spending money, buying stuff and enjoying themselves as they shop,” said the owner of the Palladium, Hassan Raftari, who described himself as a shopaholic. The scion of a family famous for its kebab restaurants, Mr. Raftari led a business expansion into the construction of luxury apartment buildings. During his trips abroad, he said, he would always wonder why shopping in Iran was so boring.

“So I decided to build my own shopping center,” he said, stressing that his mall is 100 percent private owned. He is now selling the mall’s 250 shops one by one, reportedly at prices of around $330 a square meter, or roughly $30 a square foot. “We have 1,000 parking spaces and my only mistake has been that I haven’t built more,” Mr. Raftari said.

Malls comparable to the Palladium are mushrooming across the city. According to an industry website, Iranmall.ir, 65 malls and entertainment centers are currently being developed in the capital, and not just for the rich. Around Tehran’s southern bus terminal, one of the poorer areas of the city, three malls are under construction.

The colossal Mega Mall has just opened its doors near Tehran’s Mehrabad airport. Less than a mile to the north is the Kouroosh mall, a massive glass building that is home to shops and cinemas. The décor is determinedly Western, in line with the tastes and lifestyles of their target middle- and upper-class customers.

“It is just such a pleasant experience,” said Fatemeh Gholipour as she pushed her cart last week through the long and well-stocked aisles of the Palladium’s supermarket. “They have everything under one roof. It is just like the malls I have seen in Dubai and Turkey. I feel modern shopping here.”

For urban Iranians, many of whom have seen their income dwindle during years of sanctions, the malls are a confirmation of their growing influence.

Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the state has dominated public spaces, using murals, the morals police and state media to emphasize what officials say are unchangeable revolutionary values. In private, though, Iranians have moved on, embracing satellite TV and the Internet, widening their world views and comparing their lives to those of people in Turkey, Malaysia, Europe and other popular destinations.