Memorializing Ancient Persia and the Modern Iran: Shahyad (now Azadi) Monument, Its History and Its Meaning

Guest: Hossein Amanat
Hossein Amanat established his reputation as a young graduate architect in 1966 by winning a nationwide competition to design the Shahvad Freedom Monument in Tehran, which has since become the symbol of modern Iran. This first architectural project has led to the opportunity to create some of Iran’s most prestigious modern buildings. Since moving to Canada in 1980, Hossein’s practice has expanded and diversified. To name a few of many architectural accomplishments, Hossein has designed the World Administrative Center of the Baha’I Faith in Haifa, Israel, university libraries and factories in China, dwellings in California and Canada, and religious and cultural centers in various places in the U.S. In all of his projects, Hossein demonstrates his particular skill for the application and combination of diverse cultural themes in the creation of distinctive designs.