Wender·Vista
Azadi Tower
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileIran
at the western gate of Tehran, on Azadi Square

Azadi Tower

— — a marble arch where the city begins.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“The Azadi Tower stands at the western entry to Tehran, a 45-metre arch of white Isfahan marble on a wide public square. Hossein Amanat designed it at 24, weaving Sassanid arch geometry with Islamic muqarnas at the crown. It was opened in 1971 as Shahyad and renamed Azadi — freedom — after 1979. The square below holds rallies, traffic, and on quiet evenings the long shadow of the arch across the pavement. — from the studio

from the studio
Azadi Tower
— bring it home

Azadi Tower, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Azadi Tower

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

The Azadi Tower stands at the western edge of Tehran on Azadi Square, the traditional road entry to the city from Mehrabad Airport and the Karaj highway. It was designed by the Iranian-Bahá'í architect Hossein Amanat, then 24, after winning a national competition, and completed in 1971 to mark the 2,500th anniversary of the founding of the Persian Empire. The structure rises about 45 metres and is faced in roughly 8,000 cut blocks of white marble quarried near Isfahan.

— the stone

The design pulls two traditions through one form. The lower arch echoes the broken Sassanid taq of Ctesiphon, while the upper vault is closed by a stalactite muqarnas crown drawn from Iranian Islamic mosque architecture. Computer modelling, unusual in the late 1960s, was used to set the geometry of the curving facing blocks. The interior holds the Azadi Cultural Complex with a museum below ground level. Originally named Shahyad Aryamehr — Remembrance of the Shahs — it was renamed Borj-e Azadi, Freedom Tower, after the 1979 revolution.

— the visit

Azadi Square is in the west of Tehran, about eight kilometres from the city centre. Tehran Metro line 4 stops at Meydan-e Azadi, opening directly onto the square. The tower museum keeps published hours that shift seasonally; an elevator and stair reach the observation level near the top of the arch. The square has been the gathering point for many of modern Iran's largest public moments, from the 1979 demonstrations to football celebrations and major state ceremonies.

— where
Iran · Tehran
— elevation
1,191 m · 3,907 ft
— position
35.6997° N · 51.3380° E
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
3 km W
Mehrabad International Airport
airport
6 km NE
Milad Tower
telecom tower
8 km E
Tehran
city centre
N
Azadi Tower
Mehrabad International Airport
Milad Tower
Tehran
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Azadi Tower — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

The tower was completed in 1971 to mark the 2,500th anniversary of the founding of the Persian Empire. It was designed by Hossein Amanat, an Iranian architect then 24, after he won a national design competition.

Azadi means freedom. The tower was originally named Shahyad Aryamehr, in memory of Iran's kings, and renamed Borj-e Azadi after the 1979 Iranian Revolution made the square a focal point of the rallies.

About 45 metres. The structure is faced in roughly 8,000 cut blocks of white marble quarried near Isfahan, set on a curving geometry that drew on early computer modelling.

The lower broken arch references the Sassanid taq at Ctesiphon. The upper vault is closed by a stalactite muqarnas crown taken from Iranian Islamic mosque architecture, joining pre-Islamic and Islamic forms in one structure.

Yes. The Azadi Cultural Complex below the tower includes a museum, and an elevator and stair reach an observation level near the top of the arch. Hours and access shift seasonally; check before visiting.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. The Azadi Tower is one of the most recognised structures in modern Iran and a meaningful symbol for many Iranians at home and in the diaspora. A Medium or Large with a handwritten note from the studio carries well.

The white marble and night palette read well in Minimalist Asian and Persian-modern rooms, in warm-tone gallery walls, and as a focal piece in spaces built around plaster, wool, and walnut.

A single Large reads from across the room. For taller walls a 4-tile Mural carries the arch from base to crown; a 9-tile Mural is right above a long console or sectional.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and made for vertical installation on backsplashes, shower walls, and powder-room features.

A soft microfibre cloth and clean water. The colour is held in the ceramic surface under the finish, so it does not lift or fade with normal household cleaning.

Yes. The Azadi Tower piece is original to Wender Studios. Reid is the curator and the eye behind every WenderVista place. We do not license outside work.

— if this one stayed with you

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