Azadi Tower

The Azadi Tower is a 45-meter-tall marble monument at Azadi Square in Tehran, marking the western entrance to the city. It is part of the Azadi Cultural Complex, which also includes an underground museum. The tower was completed in 1971 to commemorate the 2,500-year celebration of the Persian Empire.

Don't miss

• The tower's white marble cladding, sourced from Isfahan province and comprising 8,000 stone blocks.
• The underground Azadi Museum, displaying items such as square flagstones, gold sheeting, and terracotta tablets from Susa with cuneiform characters.
• A section of old cameras and equipment dedicated to the history of photography in Iran.
• The Gate of Words light show, a projection mapping installation by German artist Philipp Geist held in 2015, featuring colored words in English, German, and Persian.

Tickets & tours

Ways to visit Azadi Tower

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Getting there

Know before you go

• The Western bus terminal (Azadi Bus Terminal) is a 10-minute walk northwest from Azadi Square, serving most international buses and destinations west of Tehran.
• Azadi Square is accessible via the Azadi Square Subway Station, a few minutes' walk from the tower.

A bit of history

The tower was commissioned by Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, and designed by architect Hossein Amanat after he won a competition in 1966. Originally named the Shahyad Tower ('Shah's Memorial'), it was renamed Azadi ('Freedom') after the 1979 revolution. The design blends classical and post-classical Iranian architecture, with a Sasanian arch representing the classical era and a broken arch above representing the post-classical era. It was built with 8,000 blocks of white marble from Isfahan province.