Updated November 2026 We have rechecked the tower’s history and access, removed the outdated ticket price and opening times, and added the newer exhibitions.
The Azadi Tower Museum sits in the basement of Tehran’s most famous landmark, the white marble arch in the middle of Azadi Square in the west of the city. A visit combines underground galleries on Iranian history and culture with a ride up inside the tower for views across Tehran. Allow one to two hours, and arrive by metro if you can: the square is one of the busiest traffic junctions in the capital.
A short history of the tower
The tower was designed by the architect Hossein Amanat, who won a design competition in 1966, and was completed in 1971 for the celebrations marking 2,500 years of the Persian monarchy. It was originally called Shahyad and was renamed Azadi, meaning freedom, after the 1979 revolution. Standing about 45 metres high and clad in thousands of cut stone blocks, it blends Sasanian arches with Islamic geometry and is still one of the boldest modern buildings in Iran. It remains the city’s best-known symbol.
Inside the museum
The tower is part of the Azadi Cultural Complex, and most of the visitor space is below ground. Exhibitions change from time to time, but these are the main areas you can expect:
- Hall of Iranian Studies: an introduction to the country’s history, culture and regions, presented with displays and screens.
- Passage of the Ancestors: a corridor of archaeological finds, including ancient objects and clay tablets.
- Old Hall and galleries: spaces between the tower’s bases used for temporary art exhibitions, photography and craft shows.
- Hall of Mirrors: themed showcases on subjects such as the Persian Gulf, the Caspian Sea, water, the environment, agriculture and industry.
- Hall of Knowledge and library: an information area and a reference collection on history, architecture and society.
- Auditorium: an underground theatre that now also hosts film screenings as part of the complex’s cinematheque.
Newer additions include a collection of musical and sound-related instruments, among them those used in traditional ta’zieh passion plays.
Going up the tower
Lifts and stairs take you up through the tower’s upper levels, where you can see the intricate internal structure, historic photographs of the tower’s construction and, from the top floor and roof area, a wide view over the square, the city and, on a clear day, the Alborz mountains. Clear winter mornings after rain or wind give the best visibility; Tehran’s smog can hide the mountains on still days.
Visiting tips
- Where: Azadi Square, at the western end of Azadi Street.
- Opening hours: generally daytime, with shorter hours on Fridays and closures on some public holidays. Times change, so check Google Maps before you go.
- Tickets: bought at the entrance; foreign visitors usually pay a higher rate than Iranians. See our Iran price trackers for current costs in Tehran.
- Crossing to the tower: the tower stands in a large park surrounded by fast traffic, so use the underpasses and pedestrian crossings rather than trying to dash across.
- Photos: the tower is lit up at night and looks its best around dusk.
Getting there
Take Metro Line 4 to Azadi station, which comes out by the square. BRT Line 1 also runs along Azadi Street to the square, and Tehran’s main western bus terminal and Mehrabad airport are close by, so the tower is easy to see on your way in or out of the city. For more ideas, see our list of hidden gems in Tehran and our guide to museums in Tehran.
