| Azadi (Shahyad) Tower | |
|---|---|
Borj-e Āzādi | |
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 Interactive map of Azadi (Shahyad) Tower | |
| Former names | Shahyad Tower (tr. Shah's Memorial Tower) |
| Etymology | "Freedom Tower" |
| General information | |
| Location | Tehran, Iran |
| Coordinates | 35°41′58″N51°20′16″E / 35.69944°N 51.33778°E /35.69944; 51.33778 |
| Opened | January 14, 1972 |
| Inaugurated | October 16, 1971 |
| Cost | $6 million |
| Client | Council of Celebrations |
| Height | |
| Roof | 45 m (148 ft) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Hossein Amanat |
| Structural engineer | Ove Arup & Partners |
| Main contractor | MAP Company |
| Website | |
| azadi-tower | |
| Designated | March 17, 1975 |
| Reference no. | 1008 |
TheAzadi Tower (Persian:برج آزادی,Borj-e Āzādi; "Freedom Tower"), also known as theShahyad Tower (برج شهیاد,Borj-e Šahyād; "Shah's Memorial Tower"), is a monument onAzadi Square inTehran, Iran. It is one of the landmarks of Tehran, marking the westernmost entrance to the city, and is part of the Azadi Cultural Complex, which also includes an underground museum.
With Persian-Islamic architecture,[1][2] the tower is about 45 metres (148 ft) tall and is completely clad in cut marble.[3][4] It was commissioned byMohammad Reza Pahlavi, the lastShah of Iran, to mark the2,500-year celebration of the Persian Empire and completed in 1971. It also serves as the country'skilometre zero.
After winning a competition, architectHossein Amanat was tasked to design the tower. His ideas were based upon classical and Iran'spost-classical architecture,[5] popular influences on art in the 1960s following theWhite Revolution.
The first name associated with this monument wasDarvāze-ye Kuroš ("Gate of Cyrus"), and at the time of the Centenary Celebrations,Asadollah Alam, who chaired the Council of Celebrations, referred to the monument asDarvāze-ye Šāhanšāhi ("Imperial Gate"). The monument's ultimate official name was decided before the announcement of the competition for the monument's design in September 1966. Bahram Farahvashi, a scholar and professor of ancient Iranian languages who worked with the Council of Celebrations, came up with the officially designated name of the structure,Šahyād Āryāmehr.[6] Built in 1971 in commemoration of the2,500th year of the foundation of the Persian Empire, this "gateway into Tehran" was named theŠahyād ("Shah's Memorial") in honor of theShah (Mohammad Reza Pahlavi), but was later renamedĀzādi ("Freedom") following the1979 revolution.
During the 1960s, Iran became amajor oil-exporting country, and using the newly-found wealth, the Shah launched programs to modernize and industrialize the country. This followed a cultural growth that architectHossein Amanat describes as "a mini renaissance".[7] In 1966, Amanat won a competition to design the building.
Due to governmental concerns, Amanat was required to sign underneath contracts "on condition of the approval of the Council of Celebrations", which would serve as the client. Amanat planned to contract the British company ofArup to assist in the structural design of the tower, as he was impressed by their contributions towards the design and construction of theSydney Opera House. He initially faced opposition from the head of the council, as well as several conservative and nationalistic Iranian engineers, as he was turning to a foreign engineer for assistance. Despite that, the Shah supported Amanat, sending a letter to the council which would leave the decision to the architect.ShahbanuFarah Pahlavi was also supportive of Amanat's decisions.[8]
Amanat told theBBC World News in an interview that "overall, the building starts from the base and moves up towards the sky." He states that he was inspired to design the tower in this way because he felt that Iran "should be moving towards a higher level." According to him, the mainvault is aSassanian arch representing the classical era, while the broken arch above it is a popular medieval form of arch representing the post-classical era. The "network ofribs", which connects the arches together, would represent the connection between classical and post-classical Iran.[9]
Built with whitemarble fromIsfahan province, the monument includes 8,000 blocks of stone. The stones were all located and supplied by Ghanbar Rahimi, who was well known for his extensive knowledge of quarries, often known as theSoltān-e Sang-e Irān ("Iran's Sultan of Stone"). Computers were used to "define its complex woven surfaces," which, at the time, was a new technological technique.[10] The main contractor for the construction of the tower was the MAP Company, supervised by Ghaffar Davarpanah Varnosfaderani, a renowned Iranian stonemason.[11] The project was mainly funded by a group of five hundred Iranian industrialists. According to a report byMEED, the construction cost about six million dollars.[12]
On October 16, 1971, the inauguration of the tower took place.[13] However, it was not until January 14, 1972, that the tower was open to the public.[7]
The Azadi Museum is located at the basement level. Among the earliest items on display are squareflagstones, gold sheeting, andterracotta tablets fromSusa covered with cuneiform characters. The museum also features a section of old cameras and equipment dedicated to the history of photography in Iran.[14]
Before the 1979 Revolution, the main display was occupied by a copy of theCyrus Cylinder, the original being kept at theBritish Museum. Next to the Cyrus Cylinder was a gold plaque commemorating the original presentation of the museum to Mohammad Reza Pahlavi by the Mayor of Tehran. Pottery, ceramics, varnishedporcelain (such as a seventh-century blue and gold dish fromGorgan), an illuminatedQuran, and miniatures highlighted milestones in the country's history up to the 19th century, which were represented by two painted panels from Empress and the structure was to representFarah Pahlavi as in is stated in some ancient texts.
The original show, devised in 1971, was replaced in 1975 by a new one which invited visitors to discover Iran's geographic and natural diversity along with its fundamental historical elements. It exhibited a number of national achievements, technical undertakings, calligraphed poems, and miniature paintings. The project, devised by aCzechoslovak company, required 12,000 metres of film, 20,000 color slides, 20 movie projectors, and 120 slide projectors. The audiovisual programmes were directed by professor Jaroslav Frič (1928–2000). Five computers operated the entire system.[6]
German artist Philipp Geist organized a projection mapping installation namedGate of Words at the Azadi Tower, on the occasion of theGerman Unity Day.[15] The show was held from October 3 to 5, 2015.
In this project, the artist visualized the topics of freedom, peace, space and time in a poetical manner. Geist developed a light installation made of colored words and concepts in different languages, and abstract painterly compositions of images. The glowing words were in English, German and Persian, moving in synchronization with live music on the walls of the tower.[16]
The book: Azadi Tower - Tehran, by Markus Arefi was published in winter 2025 in English and German languages and afterward in the summer of 2025 the Persian version of this book is released. This is a very nice book includes very interesting valuable and useful information about the tower.
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