Teheran's Freedom Tower

Witness History

BBC

History, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.4 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 16 March 2022

⏱️ 10 minutes

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Summary

A vast new monument was opened to the public in Tehran in early 1972. It was called Shahyad and was dedicated to centuries of Iranian royalty. After the Islamic revolution of 1979 the monument's name changed to the Azadi or Freedom Tower, but it has remained a centrepiece for public events and demonstrations in the city. In 2016, Rozita Riazati spoke to Hossein Amanat, the young architect hired to design it.

PHOTO: The Azadi tower in 2016 (Getty Images)

Transcript

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0:00.0	Just before this BBC podcast gets underway, here's something you may not know.
0:04.7	My name's Linda Davies and I Commission Podcasts for BBC Sounds.
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0:35.4	Sounds.
0:36.4	Hello and thank you for downloading the Witness History Podcast from the BBC World Service.
0:48.0	All this week we're looking at the stories behind architecture from around the world.
0:53.7	Today we're going back 50 years to the public opening of a vast new monument in Tehran.
1:00.1	It was called Sharyad or the King's Memorial, and as Rosita Riazzity now reports, it would form
1:06.0	the backdrop to some of Iran's most important political events.
1:12.4	The new symbol is the Shayard Monument, standing at the western entry to Tehran on the road from the airport to the city, built to celebrate 2,500 years of continuous monarchy.
1:23.0	Its architecture reflects the assertive confidence of modern Iran.
1:27.0	Designed by the architect Hossena Monat,
1:30.0	the 50-meter high tower was constructed from white marble and surrounded by a grand plaza with gardens and
1:37.6	fountains.
1:38.6	I never thought it would become such an icon.
1:41.8	I am very honest about it. I never thought this will come to be that
1:47.0	popular between the people of Iran. And I think in course of time it became more and more connected with people.
1:55.0	After the revolution it has become more a symbol of Iran, a real Iran,
2:00.4	because it is Islamic, but it is very Iranian.
	...

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