http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/michaelasanda-2359661-tehran-azadi-tower/

Azadi Tower Tehran (previously known as the Shahyad Aryamehr Memorial Tower) is the symbol of Tehran and marks the entrance to the city. Azadi Tower is situated in the middle of Azadi Square. Built in 1971 in commemoration of the 2,500th anniversary of the Persian Empire, this "Gateway into Iran" was named the Shahyad Tower but dubbed Azadi after the Iranian Revolution of 1979. It was the symbol of the country's revival, and intended to remind coming generations of the achievements of modern Iran under the Pahlavi Dynasty. It is 50 meters tall and is completely clad in cut marble, a striking national monument and audio-visual theatre complex. Prior to the opening of Tehran’s new airport, it was the first sight to welcome visitors to Tehran due to its proximity to Mehrabad Airport.

The exterior is clad with more than 8000 cut stones, while inside you can see architect Hossein Amanat’s complex structural engineering in concrete. The park surrounding is a relative oasis compared with the surrounding maelstrom of traffic. You can reach the top by stairs or lift, and will probably be accompanied.

Azadi (Freedom) Tower, the gateway to Tehran designed in 1966 by a then 24 year old Hossein Amanat. As a practicing Bahai'i Hossein was forced to flee Iran after the Islamist government labeled followers of the religion 'unprotected infidels'. He now lives in Canada.

Azadi (Freedom) Tower was the scene of much protest during the 1979 revolution and remains a focal point for (pro government) demonstrations today.

Built to commemorate the 2500th anniversary of the Persian Empire (in 1971), a mix of ’60s modern architecture with traditional Iranian influences, after being closed for years, the underground gallery, Quran museum, cinema and, best of all, the viewing platform finally reopened in 2006.

Azadi (Freedom) Tower and Alborz Mountain

The Azadi Tower literally the Freedom or Liberty Tower, previously known as the "Shahyad Tower“ meaning "King Memorial Tower", is one of the symbols of Tehran City, the capital of Iran, and marks the west entrance to the city.

The Azadi cultural complex is located in Azadi square in an area of some 50,000 square meters. There is a museum and several fountains underneath the Tower. Azadi Tower combines Sassanid and Islamic architecture styles. It is alleged that Amanat also integrated a degree of Bahai symbolism in the design; there are exactly nine stripes on each side of the tower and exactly nine windows on the tall sides of the building, nine being an important number in the Bahai faith.

The main financing was provided by a group of five hundred Iranian industrialists. The inauguration took place on October 16, 1971.

Built with white marble stone from the Isfahan 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".

The shape of each of the blocks was calculated by a computer programmed to include all the instructions for the building work.

The entrance of the tower is directly underneath the main vault and leads into the basement. The pure, sober lines create an austere atmosphere. Heavy doors open onto a kind of crypt where lighting is subdued and seems to issue from the showcases placed here and there, each containing a unique object

There are about fifty pieces selected from among the finest and most precious in Iran. They are in excellent condition and each represents a particular period in the country's history.The place of honor is occupied by a copy of Cyrus's Cylinder.

Azadi Tower and Alborz Mountain

The United Nations continues to promote the cylinder as "an ancient declaration of human rights.”

The translation of this first Declaration of Human Rights is inscribed in golden letters on the wall of one of the galleries leading to the museum's audio-visual department.

The Cyrus Cylinder was written in 538 BCE and explains Cyrus’s history and the government he established. The Assyro-British archaeologist Hormuzd Rassam discovered the Cyrus Cylinder in March 1879 during a lengthy programme of excavations in Mesopotamia carried out for the British Museum. (original in British Museum, London)

Square flag-stones, gold sheeting, and terra cotta tablets from Susa covered with Cuneiform characters of astonishingly rigorous geometry are the earliest testimonies of Iran's history.

Azadi Tower Museum

Azadi Tower Museum

Azadi Tower Museum

Text & Pictures: Internet, PanoramioCopyright: All the images belong to their authors

Presentation: Sanda Foi oreanuşwww.slideshare.net/michaelasanda

Sound: Farid Farjad – Bazgashteh; Mahali