For much of the world, the image of Iran is hardened by its politics. Since the Islamic revolution of 1979, the country has been transformed from a pro-Western stronghold that promoted freedom and equality to the very antithesis of democracy. Yet a visit today to the capital of Tehran might change your perspective. Of course, the Iran we see in the news is still there, with all its anti-American propaganda. But beneath that increasingly fragile veneer of extremism is a growing sense of global curiosity and national pride. This cultural shift is signaled by the country’s first-ever Fashion Week, pro-Western art throughout the city, and especially the flourishing of modern architecture.

“Right now, the massive trend in Iran is to design and build structures with the goal of being recognized by the media,” says Hooman Koliji, associate professor of architecture, planning, and preservation at the University of Maryland. “Therefore, there is an implicit effort and competition to create forms that look different and, dare I say, sexy.” This approach to modern architecture has garnered great results for Iranian talents such as Leila Araghian, whose design of Tehran’s Tabiat Pedestrian Bridge took home the prestigious 2016 Aga Khan Award for Architecture, bestowed every three years. Certain elements of Araghian’s bold, modern design (pictured above) incorporate motifs of Iranian architecture dating back centuries. With its close proximity to the spectacular Alborz mountain range, the Tabiat Pedestrian Bridge became an instant viewing gallery for the building’s natural surroundings.

An image of Si-o-se Pol, one of eleven spectacular bridges in the city of Isfahan, Iran. Completed in 1602, the structure is nearly 1,000 feet long. Getty Images

Another iteration of this connection with nature can be seen in the ski resort designed by the Tehran-based firm, RYRA Studio. Located in the mountains just north of Tehran, the bone-white structure blends in naturally with the snow-capped mountains surrounding it. “While the shapes and angles and sizes of structures have changed over time, the importance of nature has maintained a central role in Iranian architecture. You can see that fundamental theme from the Achaemenids dynasty (550–330 B.C.) through the Qajar dynasty (1789–1925 A.D.),” Koliji notes.

A native of Tehran, Koliji received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from nearby Shahid Beheshti University. After a brief stint as a faculty member at his alma mater, he moved to the U.S. to pursue a second masters and second Ph.D. in architecture and design research. Now a tenured professor at the University of Maryland, Koliji has written and lectured for more than a decade about historic and contemporary Iranian architecture. It’s difficult to find many people who have more knowledge, or pride, in Iranian architecture than Koliji. And it is both knowledge and pride that ties modern Iranian architecture to its past–an understanding and an appreciation for all that came before.