Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• alireza esmaili ¹
• ali bigdeli ²
• mehrnaz behroozi ³

¹ History student of Azad University, Central Branch

² Professor, Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch

³ Senior. Lecturer, Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch09

Abstract

Erecting monuments for political and cultural figures has long been a tradition in our architecture. To set up these monuments, according to the personality of the people, various symbols and signs have been used. In the contemporary history, the National Monuments Association, by building dozens of tombs and statues for political and cultural figures, has been one of the leading institutions in this field. In this respect, in 1955, the Society for the National Heritage has directed Houshang Seyhoun and Abolhassan Sedighi, two well-known artists in the field of architecture and sculpture to construct tomb and statue of Nader Shah. The opening and operation of this complex lasted until 1963.
Due to special position of Nader Shah in the history of Iran and his acceptability among the masses, this action of the Association has got particular importance among the activities of the next term. 
In this article, in addition to analyzing the artistic aspects of the monuments, by descriptive and analytical method and using new documents and researches, it is tried to answer the question that what political and ideological goals have been pursued by the Association and the government. The findings of this study show that the Association's engagement in this action at a particular phase in Iran's history, and the king's direct and persistent support for it, has reasons far from the merely construction of a monument for a historical figure such as Nader.

Keywords

• Association of National Monuments
• Monuments
• Nader Shah
• Ideology
• Pahlavi reign