Flickr - Hamed Saber - Full Moon in Tehran Sky

The Parsian Esteghlal International Hotel is a hotel in

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. Opened in 1962 as the Royal Tehran Hilton, the hotel was designed by local Iranian architect

Heydar Ghiai Heydar-Gholi Khan Ghiaï- Chamlou ( fa, حیدرقلی خان غیایی شاملو) was an Iranian architect. He graduated from the École des Beaux-Arts in 1952, and was known as a pioneer of modern architecture in Iran. He designed the Se ...

Overview

The hotel's design consultants also included noted British architect

Raglan Squire Raglan Squire (1912-2004) was a British architect known for his building designs in London and many parts of the world. He was also one of the chief architects who rebuilt Eaton Square in London's Belgravia district between 1945 and 1949 as part ...

, who also designed Hilton hotels in Tunis, Bahrain, Nicosia and Jakarta. The hotel originally consisted of a single tower containing 259 rooms. An additional tower, with 291 more rooms, was constructed in 1972. The hotel's famous guests during this period included Ethiopian Emperor

Haile Selassie Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (' ...

, King Hussein of Jordan, and astronauts

Neil Armstrong Neil Alden Armstrong (August 5, 1930 – August 25, 2012) was an American astronaut and aeronautical engineer who became the first person to walk on the Moon in 1969. He was also a naval aviator, test pilot, and university professor. ...

Buzz Aldrin Buzz Aldrin (; born Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr.; January 20, 1930) is an American former astronaut, engineer and fighter pilot. He made three spacewalks as pilot of the 1966 Gemini 12 mission. As the Lunar Module ''Eagle'' pilot on the 1969 A ...

and

Michael Collins Michael Collins or Mike Collins most commonly refers to: * Michael Collins (Irish leader) (1890–1922), Irish revolutionary leader, soldier, and politician * Michael Collins (astronaut) (1930–2021), American astronaut, member of Apollo 11 and Ge ...

. The hotel was renamed the Esteghlal Hotel (meaning "Independence" Hotel in

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

) following

the Islamic Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...

in 1979, when all foreign hotel management contracts were severed. It is today part of the state-run Parsian International Hotels Co. A third tower is currently under construction.

Building and Construction Facts

Unlike its more contemporary twin building, the original white concrete of the first tower was able to retain its coloration due to an innovation by its architect Heydar Ghiai who decided to include particles of crushed white marble into the concrete mix.

Architect's References

* J.I Cohen, M. Eleb & A. Martinelli, "The 20th century Architecture & Urbanism" ; Paris, A+U, 1990, pp. 146–51 * F. Ghiai, " Yady az Heydar Ghiai", Rahavard, No.26, No27, No28, No29, Los Angeles, 1990-91-92-93, pp. 246–52, pp. 233–40 * M. Ghiai, ''Iran Senate House'', Max Gerard Edt. Draeger Paris, 1976 * ''Architecture d'aujourd'hui'', No.78, 1958, "Exposition et Hotel à Téhéran", pp. 96–101 * F. Bemont, "Téhéran Contemporain", Art&Architecture, Teheran, No.17, 1973, pp. 85–88 * B. Oudin, ''Dictionnaire des Architectes'', Paris, 1982, p. 187 * H. Stierlin, Iran des Batisseurs, "2500 ans d'Architecture", Geneva, 1971, p. 102 * Michel Ragon ''Histoire de l'architecture et de l'urbanisme modernes'', éd.Casterman, Paris, 1986 * E. Yarshater, ''Encyclopædia Iranica'', Volume X, New-York, 2001, p. 591-92 * M. Akri, "Iran during the Pahlavi Era, Major political players", London, 1989, p. 392 * R. Ghirshman, ''Persia El reino immortal'', London, 1971, p. 141 * Paris Match, "La Grandeur d'un Règne; le Sénat Iranien", No.1448, Paris, 1977, p. 12 * Teheran Journal, "Downtown's Masterpiece", March 5, 1977, p. 6 * Architecture Méditerranéenne, No 55, "From father to son, a dynasty of builders", Marseille, 2001, pp. 130–60 * Jours de France, "Monde", June 21, 1965, p. 65 * Jean Royere "Decorateur a paris" page 40 p165 edition Norma *

Building Consultants References

External links

{{Commons
Official Parsian Esteghlal International Hotel webpage

Official Parsian Hotels webpage
Hotel buildings completed in 1962 Hotels in Tehran Hotels in Iran Heydar Ghiai buildings and structures Hotels established in 1962