Alaeddin Tower, Varamin

🕰️When was it built?

The tower was completed in 688 AH (1289), late in the reign of Arghun Khan. Fakhr al-Din built it as the tomb of his father, Hasan Ala al-Dowleh. The date of death and the date of completion appear in the inscription at the top of the body, and the tower was registered as a national monument in 1931.

🏛️What was it built for?

The tower was built as a tomb, with a crypt beneath the main chamber. The inside is round, while the outside is shaped by vertical flanges. The crypt has a plan like a plus sign set inside a circle.

👀What you will see

• Thirty-two flanges ring the outer body, and their vertical lines make the tower look taller.
• The roof is conical outside, but the inner dome is half-elliptical, so there are two layers, one over the other.
• The inscription band sits where the body meets the roof, decorated with cut brick and leaf-like patterns.
• Blue and turquoise tiles combine with brick patterns and stucco in the upper part of the body.
• On the west side, an opening near the roof belongs to a spiral staircase built inside the thickness of the wall.

💡Something interesting

The hidden staircase in the wall leads to the gap between the two domes and was probably built for inspection and repair. A ladder was needed even to reach its start, so this was never the normal way into the tower.

🎒Good to know before you go