Supervisors from Iranian Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (CHTO) ruled out a proposed route for the construction of a monorail because it was planned to pass near a landmark monument in the capital city of Tehran, Iranian Cultural Heritage News Agency reported.

The municipality intended to have the route pass just 400 meters away from the Azadi Tower while CHTO had demanded at least one km distance between the monorail and Tehran's most visible monument, south of the city.

The tower is the only monument in Iran which was registered as a national heritage site immediately after its construction. An underground building beneath the square is a bustling art center with a large and well-equipped amphitheatre.

Although Tehran is more than 2,300 years old, the Azadi Tower has become the symbol of Iran's capital city in just a few decades. The arch rises from Azadi Square mirroring the Elburz (Alborz) mountain range just north of the city. It is 45 meters high and is faced with 8000 white stone slabs from Esfahan. It is located at the entrance to Tehran, this historic city.

The tower, which is a combination of Islamic and Sassanid architecture styles, is part of Azadi cultural complex which is located in Tehran's Azadi Square in an area of about 5 hectares. The tower is located near Mehrabad Airport and was opened in 1971.

After Iran's revolution the new governments changed it name from Shahyad to Azadi to represent it as a symbol of the revolution. Azadi in Farsi means "Freedom".

... Payvand News - 10/11/04 ... --