Chances are many Tehran residents have gotten used to it, I mean that’s understandable, just as it’s become somehow normal for the citizens of Paris, seeing the Eifel tower, or for the Romans the Colliseum. However, there’s something about the Shahyad tower that sets it apart from other symbolic constructions around the world. The Eifel tower, is unique in its shape and size and the material used to bulid it, it’s definitely a masterpiece. The Roman colliseum is old, really old, a memory of those grandiose days of Rome and the Roman empire. Shahyad tower is neither that old nor that unique in size. The fact it was build close to Mehrabad airport, limited its height, but the then 24 years old designer, Mr.Amanatt and his team were able to build what by all means represents the Persian and Iranian style in architecture, a mix of the Sassanid arch design that once characterized the famous Tisphoon palace (taghe kasra) as well as other unique Iranian architectural shapes and colors.
I remember, when I was a kid I used to ask my dad, what’s up there? Can we go up there? How do they go inside the tower? I always wanted to go inside the tower but it never happened. There’s something about the shape and color and the overall design of the tower that makes it beautiful to any eyes, no matter how long you spend looking at it. On my part, I couldn’t say the same thing about some other famous buildings around Tehran or some very famous ones around the world including the CN, Eifel and the Milad tower itself in tehran. They say that the Milad tower will eventually replace the Shahyad as the symbol of Tehran, well, I seriously doubt it. Shahyad was build with love and deep understanding of the ancient unique Persian architecture, both before and after Islam. Its designer Mr. Amanatt describes the essence of this tower in his interview with BBC Persian:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/iran/story/2007/10/071023_ka-tehran-azadi-amanat.shtml
Now, the tower has not been taken care of for the last 30 years, despite the fact it’s the symbol of our capital city, but what can we possibly expect from a regime that literally destroyes 2000 years old national monuments. Hope the beautiful Shahyad survives this very long earthquake that is collapsing the very foundations of our Iranian essence.
