Veronika Kalugina

Hossein Amanat Architecture

ARC 2032: History of Architecture II

April 11, 2022

Hossein Amanat

Hossein Amanat is an Iranian-Canadian architect. After graduation from the University

of Tehran, a young architect won a nationwide competition in 1966 to design the Shahyad Tower

in Tehran (renamed Azadi Tower after the revolution in 1979), which has become a symbol of

Iran. Mr. Amanat had to flee Iran in 1979 because he was a member of prosecuted Baha' i Faith.

He moved to Vancouver, where he opened his architecture firm Amanat Architect, where his

practice has expanded and diversified. "In his designs, Hossein demonstrates his particular skill

for the application and combination of diverse cultural themes in the creation of distinctive

designs" (Farhang Foundation, 2021).

Azadi Tower precedents and design development

A design competition in 1966 was a part of 2500 years of the Iranian Kingdom celebration, a

celebration of the history of Iran. Inspired by his childhood memories of Iranian historical places,

Hossein participated in the competition and won. Hossein Amanat selected traditions and

precedents from Iranian Architecture to represent the connection between the culture, history,

and people. In the design development for Azadi tower, shown here on the right, he looked at the

precedents from Sassanid dynasty architecture and Islamic Architecture of Iran after the 11th

century. He incorporated two main symbolic elements in his design of the Azadi tower- a round

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arch and a pointed arch, that are highlighted on this picture on the right. Where a round arch

comes from a precedent of Taq Kasra, a structure from the Sassanid empire era, shown on the

left. It is considered a symbol of the history and civilization of ancient Persia, that is now lost. At

the time built in the 3rd century AD, it was the second-largest single-span brickwork vault. The

arched Iwan hall was a part of the imperial palace complex in Ctesiphon, modern Iraq, a capital

of the Persian Empire for centuries. Many assume that an emperor's throne room was located

under the catenary arch.

The pointed arch was an inspiration by the Vakil mosque in Shiraz, shown here in the center. It

was built during the Iranian Qajar dynasty's rule in 1773. Being a recognizable design element

from the Islamic architecture of Iran after the 11th century, a pointed arch serves a symbolic

meaning. It represents the culture of the Islamic period of Iranian history.

Azadi Tower Geometric Ornament

In his projects, Mr. Amanat values the beauty of geometry and uses it as a powerful tool in his

designs. The ornamental grid shape with turquoise mosaics takes its concept from the Vakil

mosque ornament as shown here on the left image. The geometric ornament creates a sense of

unity and timelessness and serves as a connection between symbolic arches, which can be

interpreted as a bridge that brings together two parts of Iranian history.

Azadi Tower Landscape Design

The geometric ornament of the landscape directly talks to the ornament on the tower, where they

all point to the monument, as shown on the left image here. The raised platform underneath the

tower represents the significance and value of the history and culture of the nation.

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Water has always been an important element of Iranian architecture and its gardens, which

symbolizes life and a reflection of divine light. Hossein Amanat took a great approach to the

incorporation of water feature in his design and made the water be the pathway to the tower as

shown on this image on the right.

Shrine of Abdu’l-Baha Design Development

Another great project of Hossein Amanat is the Shrine of Abdu'l-Baha in Haifa, Israel. The

project started in 2019 and remains under construction. The monument will honor Abdu'l-Baha

and will reflect his teachings, unity of God, and humility. The design development of the Shrine

was inspired by the Iranian heritage, culture, architecture, and the Baha's faith itself to reflect

cultural traditions and values.

Shrine of Abdu’l-Baha Geometric Ornament

The ornamental geometry of the landscape refers to the symbol of unity of nine religions in

Baha'i Faith- a nine-point star, shown here in the center. The geometric pattern refers to the

traditional design ornaments of Iran as well, shown on this left image of Vakil mosque in Shiraz.

The dynamic design of the monument is simple and complex at the same time, which has a direct

reference to the Architecture of Iran after the 11th century. Also, it has a direct connection to the

Azadi tower landscape design as well, where a complex geometric ornament unfolds. The

entrance to the Shrine is marked with a round arch and a pathway, leading to the entrance

underneath the arch. Similar to the Azadi tower, the round arches symbolize the history of

Persian culture and people before Islam. The sacred shrine is located under the ornamental

landscape design. Intentionally, it can only be seen if a person walks through the path.

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Natural stone is incorporated in a unique way, where the stone panels intersect and interact with

each other, creating a mesmerizing, complex geometric structure, shown on the image on the

right. Hossein Amanat drawn this concept from complex muqarnas ornaments, shown here on

the center image from the Vakil Mosque in Shiraz, which symbolizes unity and order. The

construction serves as a skylight and provides plenty of natural light to the shrine area

underneath the ground. Hossein Amanat also used pointed arch vaults in his design as shown on

the image on the right. Another design element inspired by Iranian architecture after the 11th

century is a vault openings with stained glass mosaic. Like the Azadi tower, Mr. Amanat

incorporated water features in his design of the Shrine. A water pool in a shape of a star sits right

on top of the shrine and serves as a center point for the landscape ornament.

Conclusion

Hossein Amanat selected Traditions and Precedents from Iranian Architecture after the 11th

century and ancient Persia to represent the connection between the culture, history, and people.

In these two projects, Hossein Amanat brought multiple design elements together to create a

symbol of Iranian civilization and culture in his modern design. In these two projects, the

architect kept the main concept of overall simple and complex geometry elements, also

incorporated some traditional Iranian architectural elements that were developed and adapted in

Iran thought history, such as arches, vaults, muqarnas, water, and glass and tile mosaics.

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Bibliography

1. David Douglass-Jaimes. "AD Classics: Azadi Tower / Hossein Amanat" 30 Sep 2018.

ArchDaily.

2. Diba, Darab. 2012. “Contemporary Architecture of Iran.” Architectural Design 82

(3): 70–79. doi:10.1002/ad.1406.

3. Farahi, Farshad. 2012. “World of Similitude: The Metamorphosis of Iranian

Architecture.” Architectural Design 82 (3): 52–61. doi:10.1002/ad.1404.

4. Farhang Foundation. “Hossein Amanat: The Making of the Shahyad Monument”.

YouTube video, 1:08:52. August 10, 2021

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irGjgBzTjII

5. Rayyan Sabet. September 20, 2019. “Design concept for the Shrine of ‘Abdu’l-Baha

unveiled”. Bahá’í World News Service. Article.

6. Tavasoli, Ehsan, Matlabi, Qasem, AND Tatari, Solmaz. August 30, 2014. "Art of

Architecture and Design for Urban Art Spaces: Case Study of Tehran" European

Online Journal of Natural and Social Sciences [Online], Volume 3

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Image References

1. “Hossein Amanat”. Wikipedia. January 18, 2022

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hossein_Amanat

2. “Taq Kasra”. Wikipedia. October 23, 2019

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taq_Kasra

3. “Vakil Mosque”. Asian Itinerary. June 23, 2020

https://asianitinerary.com/the-vakil-mosque/

4.” Azadi Tower”. Acei-Global. March 2, 2012

https://acei-global.blog/2012/03/02/from-iran-to-irangeles-a-tribute-to-iranian-

americans/

5. “Vakil Mosque”. Asian Itinerary. June 23, 2020

https://asianitinerary.com/the-vakil-mosque/

6. “Azadi Tower”. Photo Stock Editor. April 2019

https://photostockeditor.com/image-rf/azadi-tower-in-azadi-square-in-the-iranian-

capital-tehran-1321729376

7. “Azadi Tower”. Pinterest.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/389561436487227729/

8. “Azadi Tower”. Commons Wikimedia. April, 2019

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https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Azadi_tower,_Tehran,_Iran_(April_2016).jpg

9. “Vakil Mosque”. Asian Itinerary. June 23, 2020

https://asianitinerary.com/the-vakil-mosque/

10. “Baha’i start of nine religions”. Learn Religions. March 30, 2019

https://www.learnreligions.com/bahai-faith-symbol-gallery-4122677

11. “Shrine of Abdu’l Baha”. Baha’i Faith. September 20, 2019

https://news.bahai.org/story/1353/slideshow/3/

12. “Vakil Mosque”. Iran Tour and Touring organization.

https://www.itto.org/iran/attraction/Vakil-Mosque/

13. . “Shrine of Abdu’l Baha”. Baha’i Faith. September 20, 2019

https://news.bahai.org/story/1353/slideshow/3/

14. “Azadi Tower”. Pinterest.

https://www.itto.org/iran/attraction/Vakil-Mosque