Azadi Tower is the defining landmark of Tehran — a 45-metre arch of white Esfahan marble that stands at the western gateway to the city and appears in the background of almost every image of Tehran. The form combines classical Persian arch motifs with a modernist structural sensibility: the arch of the iwan (the vaulted porch of traditional Persian architecture) translated into a triumphal arch at urban scale.
The tower sits at the centre of a large public plaza, Azadi Square, which has been the site of mass gatherings throughout Iran's modern history — including the enormous crowds of the 1979 revolution and subsequent national celebrations. It is most atmospheric at dusk, when the white marble turns gold. The underground museum beneath the tower contains a collection related to the history of the site and the tower's construction. The view from the top, reached by elevator, looks back across the whole width of Tehran toward the Alborz.