Hasan Abad Square, Tehran

Hasan Abad Square, Tehran, is one of the historical squares in the heart of the capital, remained from Qajar and Pahlavi periods. It is today located on a paved space, at the intersection of two streets of Imam Khomeini OR Sepah and Vahdat-e Islami. In terms of urban divisions, it is placed on the border of District 11 and District 12 of Tehran. Although Hasan Abad is now placed in the center of the capital, it was considered a region in the northwest of Tehran and was a residential place, in the past. With the end of Qajar period and the beginning of Pahlavi, Hasan Abad crossroads was converted into a square with a diameter of 45 meters, by the order of Reza Shah when Karim Mirza Bouzarjomehri was the mayor of Tehran. According to the stucco inscriptions carved on the southeast side of the square, the construction of this side was ended in 1929 and the whole construction of the square was carried out by Mirza Ali Khan in 1933, based on some historical sources. 

Before the construction of Hasan Abad Square in the current form, there were many gardens in this region of the capital, owned by Mirza Yousef Ashtiani. He had a son named Hasan and this is the reason for naming this place. After the death of father, his children and heirs divided this garden and the estate among themselves, beginning a series of constructions there. Thus, the garden became out of its original shape in which many different buildings were erected and in the end, only two crossroads are remained. After a while, this square was renamed by Dr. Mahdi Malekzadeh, to Malek al-Motakallemin, in memory of his father, who was one of the constitutionalist fighters. A statue of him was then installed in the middle of the square. 

The architectural value of Hasan Abad Square concerns to four curved mansions which had been constructed on its four sides. Two metal curved domes were observed on top of each dome. Accordingly, the square was sometime called Hasht Gonbad Square (Means Eight Domes). The architectural significance of these buildings is in the combination of Neoclassical and the French Baroque styles. The buildings are the work of Armenian architect, Qelich Baqlian, who accomplished this task in companion with the other Armenian architect, Leon Tadosian. Domes were erected by the Master Akbar Nekoovaght, known as Master Akbar Khaharzadeh. The body is a combination of the works of the famous Italian Renaissance architect, Andrea Palladio. During these changes, the square was sometime called Pahlavi Square, too. The square was renamed to 31 Shahrivar after the victory of the Islamic revolution and finally it returned to its original name, Hasan Abad. 

At the beginning of 1970s, one of the mansions around the square, the southeastern one, was ruined in order to erect a glass building for National Bank (Bank-e Melli), designed by Foroughi. This changed the whole face of this historical heritage. In 1999, the general program of the restoration of the square, planned to fix the previous damages, gave, to some extent, back the original appearance of this glorious place. In order to reconstruct and revitalize the square in 2001, the municipality of District 12 erected a bombastic external structure over the building of Bank-e Melli, like the same old mansion. The purpose of this plan was to fix the previous damages up to certain level and to match the overall face of four buildings. The gable roof of one of four mansions caught fire and its two domes were severely damaged, on July 17, 2017. 

Today, Hasan Abad square is, in fact, a part of the historical and traditional texture of Qajari Tehran and Naseri Hesar (Naseri Fence). There are many other attractions here, including Shahr Park, Moghadam Museum, Post and Communications Museum, Glassware and Ceramic Museum of Tehran, The Gate of National Garden, Tūpkhāneh Square, National Museum of Iran, 30 Tir Street etc. Hasan Abad is easily accessible from everywhere in Tehran. Hasan Abad Square Metro Station is located on Tehran Metro Line 2. Buses of Fayyaz Bakhsh Terminal- Ostad Moin Terminal, Fayyaz Bakhsh Terminal- Qasr ol-Dasht, and Fayyaz Bakhsh Terminal- Malik Ashtar have a station in Hasan Abad Square. You can also find this place through Nazi Abad and Khayyam Three-way, by Taxi. The southern streets of the square are in the possession of baby clothing stores and the northern ones by the wood and furniture workshops. Tool and woolen sellers are also placed around the square. Hasan Abad Square was inscribed on the list of Iran National Heritage in 1998 (Registration No. 1977)