Spatial design origins of the University of Tehran: the Western influence in Pahlavi Iran

This article critically analyzes the spatial design origins of the University of Tehran, Iran’s first modern campus, and challenges the prevailing assumption that it derived primarily from French Beaux-Arts traditions. Designed by graduates of the École des Beaux-Arts, the University’s master plan and buildings have long been regarded as products of French architectural influence. Drawing on historical documents related to the University of Tehran and spatial models of European universities from the 19th and early 20th centuries, this interpretation is reassessed. While Beaux-Arts stylistic features and minor influences from other European models are evident, almost no comparable campus master plan existed in Europe before its construction, prompting an exploration of alternative influences. A review of the decade preceding its foundation shows that the institution was established through the collaboration of Iranian intellectuals – committed to advancing national progress – and the patronage of Riza Shah. Particular attention is given to ʿIsa Sadiq, who in 1931 submitted a proposal for establishing the University of Tehran, prepared in consultation with American experts. Comparative analysis indicates strong parallels between the campus’s spatial structure and American universities, highlighting it as the product of a deliberate synthesis of global models and Iranian reformist ambitions.