Azadi Tower

Azadi Tower is one of the symbols of the great Tehran city. Laconic, simple forms of snow-white marble structure rise on the hill in the west part of the city. Memorable architecture made the tower be on the list of top Tehran attractions.

As Hossein Amanat describes his creation, Azadi Tower “starts from the ground and stretches to the sky”. This is how the architect saw the history and destination of Tehran. Remarkably, the monument represents a strong connection between past and future, history and ambitions, culture, and progress. Azadi Tower became an indispensable feature of the city landscape and later appeared on the 200 rials bill.

History of Azadi Tower

The architect, Hossein Amanat, started constructing the tower in 1972 after he won a competition to design a monument. The last Shah of Iran commissioned the monument. Mohammad Reza Pahlavi wanted the tower to commemorate the 2500th year of the Persian Empire. Azadi Tower represents Iran’s great history and heritage in tandem with contemporary achievements and development.

The architect of the monument, Hossein Amanat, won the nationwide competition. They first referred to the tower as Darvaze ye Kurosh – The Gate of Cyrus. They decided to name it officially to Shahyad Aryamehr (Shahyad tower)– Shah’s Memorial Tower. For the next seven years, the name remained the same, resembling the 2500th anniversary of the Persian empire until the Islamic revolution. In 1979 (after the 1979 Islamic revolution), the tower got the name we know today – (Borj-e Āzādi), which literally means freedom; Freedom Tower.