Tehran University: A Contested Terrain

ABSTRACT Designed by the Beaux-Arts graduates, Tehran University was founded in 1934, in the Pahlavi era (1926-79) when desires for modernisation confronted the arbitrary rule of the Iranian government. The project of the University contained all the complexities of a politically sensitive government building. It was to present an image of a modern and progressive nation to the international community. Simultaneously, the erection of the University’s first building and its site location within the Iranian Capital were illustrative of the government’s dictatorial power and control over the Iranian intelligentsia and the religious elite (the ulama). By drawing upon archival documents and photographs collected primarily from the Central Library of Tehran University, never before discussed, this research investigates the clash of political views and interests over Tehran University’s sensitive site and demonstrates the manner in which the expression of those complexities was translated and manifested through its architecture. The article simultaneously delves into the twentieth-century practice of architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts, introducing the Beaux-Arts design method as a powerful tool to negotiate the expression of state power through the University site plan and buildings.