Milad Tower

Tehran


Dominating the skyline of Tehran’s western suburbs, Milad Tower is 435m high, including 120m of antenna, making it, in 2017, the world’s sixth-tallest free-standing tower. Bearing a striking resemblance to Menara Kuala Lumpur, its octagonal concrete shaft tapers up to a pod with 12 floors, including both enclosed and open observation decks, a gallery, a cafe and a revolving restaurant (IR600,000/1,080,000/1,508,000 for breakfast/lunch/dinner).

Whether you should visit or not depends largely on the weather; on a rare clear day the views are worth it, but otherwise probably not. You need a taxi to get here.

At the base of the tower is the separate Tehran Milad Tower International Convention Centre, where concerts are occasionally held.

In 2012, Zaha Hadid won the design competition for the second phase of the site, a plan which would involve a couple more lower-rise towers. So far, though, construction is yet to commence.