Iran (IMNA) - In Persian language the word Azadi means freedom and this famous landmark was completed in 1971 during Mohamamd Reza Shah’s reign in order to commemorate the 2,500 years of Persian Empire.
Azadi Tower was originally known as the Shahyad Tower (Remembrance of Kings) which was designed by Hossein Amanat, an architect and a young graduate student from Tehran university who won a nationwide competition in 1966 for designing the Shahyad Tower. Its outstanding design incorporate both pre and post-Islamic architectural styles. Indeed, the 21m high archway as a sign of hands raised in prayer is pointed to Sassanian rites and ceremonies.
The 3 floor and 45 high monument is constructed from large 25,000 granite blocks from Hamadan and white marble from Isfahan. 8,000 blocks of stone in Azadi Tower were all located and supplied by Ghanbar Rahimi who is well known for his extensive knowledge of quarries, often known as Iran’s Sultan of Stone.
In an interview, Amanat, architect of this elegant monument, said “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; the network of ribs which connects the arches together, would represent the connection between classical and post-classical Iran.”
The iconic Martyr’s Memorial in Algeria which was built in 1982, represent a strong influence by Azadi Tower.
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