Azadi Tower – Tehran, Iran

The Azadi Tower (Persian: برج آزادی‎, Borj-e Āzādi; translated: Freedom Tower), previously known as the Shahyād Āryāmehr (Persian: شهیاد آریامهر‎; English: King Memorial Tower), is the symbol of Tehran, the capital of Iran, and marks the entrance to the city.

Construction

The architect, Hossein Amanat, won a competition to design the monument, which combines elements of Sassanid and Islamic architecture. Amanat, a Baha'i, was driven from the country by the revolution against the Shah of Iran and the removal of religious pluralism. It is part of the Azadi cultural complex, located in Tehran's Azadi Square in an area of some 50,000 m². There are several fountains around the base of the tower and a museum underground. The iconic Monument des Martyrs in Algiers (built, 1982) shows a strong influence by this monument, in its general design as well as its details.

Built with white marble stone from the Esfahan region, there are eight thousand blocks of stone. The stones were all located and supplied by Ghanbar Rahimi, whose knowledge of the quarries was second to none and who was known as "Soltan-e Sang-e Iran" (Iran's Sultan of stone). The shape of each block was calculated by a computer, and programmed to include all the instructions for the building's work. The actual construction of the tower was carried out, and supervised by Iran's finest master stonemason, Ghaffar Davarpanah Varnosfaderani. The main financing was provided by a group of five hundred Iranian industrialists. The inauguration took place on October 16, 1971.

History

Built in 1971 in commemoration of the 2,500th anniversary of the Persian Empire, this "Gateway into Iran" was named the Shahyad Tower, meaning "Kings' Memorial", but was dubbed Azadi (Freedom) after the Iranian Revolution of 1979. It is 50 meters (148 ft) tall and completely clad in cut marble.

If you ever visit Iran then you must go and see the landmark of Iran’s capital -Tehran which is the Azadi Tower. It is situated at the entrance of the city and stands there like a watch tower that guards the whole city from above. It was designed by Hossein Amanat, a Canadian of Iranian origins who actually fled the country after the Revolution in 1979 and who won a contest organized for that occasion. The tower was supposed to be built in celebration of the 2500th anniversary of the Persian Empire, but it actually meant the end of the Pahlavi dynasty that was then ruling Iran. So the original name of the tower, “King’s memorial” changed into Azadi meaning Freedom.

The tower is 50 metres tall and it was finished in 1971, under the close surveillance of one of the best people in the field -Iran’s finest master stonemason, Ghaffar Davarpanah Varnosfaderani. The monument id made of huge blocks of white marble whose dimensions were calculated with the help of a computer, so that they could match perfectly. They used eight thousand blocks of marble that was brought from the Esfahan region, famous for its quarries.