Hasanabad Square (Tehran)
Hasan-Abad Square, also spelled Hasanabad, is a historic area and city square in Tehran, Iran.
History
The area was once behind the fortifications of Safavid Tehran. It was close to northeastern end of the city limits so burials were performed there, though in small extent.In 1867, Naser al-Din Shah Qajar ordered the expansion of the capital and thus, that area were enclosed in the new city limits. For much of late 19th-century, the area was just a city junction of moderate importance; a state hospital was built in the east end and the old graveyard was kept being used by the wealthy Tehranis. At western end of the cemetery, Mirza Yusuf Ashtiani, a vizier of the Qajar Sultan, lived with his family in a mansion which after his death, was used by his eldest son, Mirza Hasan Ashtiani, a Prime Minister of Iran, thus giving Hasan Abad name.
In 1929, the current symmetrical buildings were built and the four-way junction became a roundabout. Some years later, a large statue of Malek ol-Motekallemin was erected in the middle.
Following the Iraqi Invasion of Iran in 1980, the square was briefly renamed to 31st of Shahrivar, in commemoration of the invasion day. However, the new name did not stick and was reverted back to Hasan Abad. At the same time and for construction of the current underpass and metro station, the statue was moved to the warehouse of Park-e Shahr, before completely disappearing.