TEHRAN - New boundaries have been defined for Tehran’s City Theater to help provide further safeguard for the historical-cultural complex.

Limits of the complex, which is widely considered the sole professional center of theater in Iran, were determined with a collaborative effort made by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, the Ministry of Culture, and Islamic Guidance, and the Islamic City Council of Tehran.

The demarcation project is aimed to pave the way for better conservation, and landscaping projects of the monument, which is a national cultural heritage site, Mehr reported.

Locally called Te’atr-e Shahr, the complex contains several performance spaces including the halls of Cheharsou, Qashqai, Sayeh, the performance studio, and the main hall.

The theater complex has no fences or walls, close to Valiasr intersection Daneshjoo Park (Student Park). It is divided into five halls, four of which are located on the ground floor and the basement.

The complex was designed by architect Ali Sardar Afkhami in the 1960s and opened to the public in 1972. Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance has overseen its operation.

Experts believe most architectural elements of the City Theater are borrowed from the 12th-century Tughrul Tower, which stands tall in Rey, southern Tehran.

Standing tall in the city of Rey, Tughrul Tower is the tomb of Seljuk ruler Tughrul Beg, who died in Rey in 1063. Originally, like other monuments of its time, it was capped by a conical dome which would have added to its height. The monument enjoys a cylinder-shaped structure and is surrounded by columns similar to the Persepolis columns which made the structure like a tent.

AFM