Imam Khomeini Square
The Imam Khomeini Square also known as Toopkhaneh Square is a major town square in Central Tehran, Iran.
History
The city square that is known as Imam Khomeini was built in 1867 after the expansion of Tehran during the reign of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar, on the north of the former site of Dowlat Gate. First, it was calledToopKhāneh, because of the many cannons and soldiers there, protecting the main residence of the Qajar Shah.
After the Persian coup d'état|1921 coup], it was renamed Sepah Square, after the building that Reza Khan worked as War Minister on one corner of the area. After the fall of the Qajars and emergence of the Pahlavis, the name remained Sepah Sq, this time with a huge statue of Reza Shah in the center. During the 1979 Iranian Revolution, the statue was brought down by the revolutionaries. The square took its current name, Imam Khomeini Square, after the first leader of the revolution, like many other city squares in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Layout
The square has a distinctive rectangular shape, with six streets ending at its four corners. Those streets are: Amir Kabir, Naser Khosrow, Bob Homayoun, Imam Khomeini, Ferdowsi and Lalé Zar.This layout of a city square can be found in the more recent Republic Square of Yerevan, there with oval buildings facing the plaza.
Famous sites
Buildings like Telegraphkhane, Municipality Palace andthe Imperial bank building once surrounded the square. The Telegraphkhane and the Municipality Palace were demolished in 1970 and 1969 respectively. the former was replaced by a huge brutalist building, housing Ministry of [Information and Communications Technology of Iran|Mokhaberat-e Iran]. the latter's site was a flat parking lot for nearly five decades, and as of now, a replica of the Municipality Palace is being built there which is going to host art galleries, cafes and a conference hall.