University of Tehran: A Legacy of Education and Influence

The University of Tehran (UT), also known as Tehran University, stands as Iran's oldest and most prestigious public university. Nicknamed "Mother University," it has played a pivotal role in the nation's academic, socio-cultural, and political landscape. With a rich history spanning centuries and a commitment to academic excellence, the University of Tehran continues to be a leading institution of higher education in the region.

Historical Roots and Establishment

The roots of the University of Tehran can be traced back to Jondi Shapur University, an ancient center of learning that existed over 2,000 years ago. In its more traditional form, the University of Tehran emerged seven centuries ago, initially within religious seminaries known as "Houza." These seminaries offered education not only in religious studies but also in mathematics, astronomy, medicine, literature, biology, physics, and chemistry.

During the modern era, the University of Tehran transitioned from a religious structure to a more modern and academic institution of higher education. A significant milestone in this evolution was the establishment of Dar-ol-Fonoon College, considered the first engineering school in its modern form, nearly a century before the university's formal establishment. This occurred 20 years before similar colleges were established in Tokyo, Japan.

Amir Kabir, the Prime Minister of Iran during the Qajar dynasty (1848-1851), recognizing the importance of modern sciences during his travels to Russia and the Ottoman Empire, founded Dar-ol-Fonoon College. The college offered programs in engineering, medical, and industrial sciences, with instruction provided by seven professors from Austria.

Dar-ol-Fonoon was later transformed into an official state-run university, with the foreign minister of the time, Mirza Mohammad Ali Khan, serving as its first dean.

The Formal Establishment and Early Years

The initial plan to establish a national university was commissioned by Abdol-Hossein Teimoortash, Minister of the Court, to Doctor Isa Sedigh. This plan, ratified by King Reza Shah, envisioned faculties of Theology (Ma’ghool-o-Manghool), Natural Sciences, Economics, and Engineering Sciences. Ali Asghar Hekmat, the Minister of Science at the time, was responsible for implementing the plan, and his extensive collection of books is now housed in the University's main library.

Teacher training colleges and industrial schools were integrated into the University, with additional schools and institutions added over time. In 1933, the plan was finally approved by the National Parliament. Due to a lack of suitable buildings, existing structures like the Teachers Training College mansion were repurposed to house the Faculty of Humanities and Literature.

The University of Tehran was officially inaugurated in the winter of 1934, with Ali Asghar Hekmat, the Minister of Science, becoming its first Dean. The University Council was formed with prominent faculty members, including Loghman-o-doleh and Dr. Amir A’lam from Medicine; Dehkhoda and Sedig Hazrat (Mohammad Mazaher) from Law; Sedigh A’lam and Mirza Gholam-Hossein Khan Rahnama and Dr. Siasi from Literature and Humanities; Haj. Seyed Nasrollah Naghavi and Badi-o-zaman from Ma’ghool -o- Manghool; and Dr Hesabi and Amin from the Faculty of Engineering. Dr. Vali-o-llah Khan Nasr was also added by the Science Ministry for his contributions to the University.

In May 1934, the Majles (national assembly) passed a law to incorporate five existing public colleges as a new University of Tehran. The original faculties included law, literature, medicine, science, and technology (engineering). Reza Shah Pahlavi officially inaugurated the University of Tehran in February 1935 by laying the foundation stone for its campus in an area northwest of the then new administrative and commercial district. Subsequently, faculties of agriculture, fine arts, and theology were added, as well as a printing press and a central library.

Evolution and Political Influence

In 1943, the university gained independence from the Ministry of Education, and a board of directors was organized. This new governing body, elected by the faculty, also elected the dean. However, this independence was later undermined after 1953, as the election of the dean became a formality, requiring approval from the Shah. By the late 1960s, political appointments from among politicians, rather than academics, further compromised the university's academic integrity.

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Despite these efforts at political control, the University of Tehran became a breeding ground for opposition movements against Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi's regime, ultimately contributing to the Iranian Revolution (1979). The 1979 revolution and the Iran-Iraq War slowed the development of the university, but since 1989, it has continued to develop and expand, adding several new faculties and institutes.

The University of Tehran played a central role in the overthrow of the Pahlavi government in the 1978-9 revolution. UT has always been a bastion of political movement and ideology.

The political and social role of the University of Tehran in the Iranian domestic arena has continued to be so pronounced that in November 2005 (to February 2008) a senior Islamic scholar became chancellor (president) of the university, replacing Faraji-dana (professor of electrical engineering faculty). Ayatollah Abbasali Amid Zanjani (عباسعلی عميد زنجانی) is a professor in law, is known for his strong ties to Ayatollah Khomeini in the 1979 revolution, and had spent time in the Shah's prisons before the Islamic Revolution.

The University of Tehran's central place in Iranian elite circles has made it the setting for many political events and cultural works. It was in front of the gates of this school that The Shah's army opened fire on dissident students, killing many and further triggering the 1979 revolution of Iran.

Campus and Architecture

The main campus of the university is located in the central part of the city. However, other campuses are spread across the city as well as in the suburbs, such as the Baghe Negarestan Campus in the central eastern part of the city, the Northern Amirabad Campuses in the central western part of the city, and the Abureyhan Campus in the suburb of the capital. The main gate of the university, with its specific design and modern architecture (at Enghelab Street at the main campus), is the logo of the university. As the University of Tehran is the symbol of higher education of Iran, the main gate of the University in central Tehran, with its specific design and architecture is in a more general sense, a logo of education in Iran.

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By the orders of Reza Shah, the compound of Jalaliyeh garden, located north of the then Tehran between Amirabad village and Tehran's northern trench, was selected. The master plan of the campus buildings was drawn up by French architects Roland Dubrulle and Maxime Siroux, Swiss architect Alexandre Moser, as well as Andre Godard, Nicolai Markov and Mohsen Foroughi.

Tehran University is the outcome of several generations of Iranian and international architects that is, in this regard, of outstanding values in comparison to other similar cases all around the world. Its buildings indicate three significant stages of Persian architecture: 1. Traditional stage; 2. Transition stage; 3. Modern stage.

The Architecture style of Tehran University was inspired by European style and combined with the traditional Iranian Architecture, therefore, the modern materials such as concrete was set next to Iranian elements in architecture. Iranian and foreign architects and designers were among the best and the most prominent people in the world.

Academic Profile and Programs

Despite the establishment of other universities in both Tehran and other Iranian cities, the University of Tehran has an unrivaled reputation in the country for academic excellence. The university offers more than 111 bachelor's degree programs, 177 master's degree programs, and 156 PhD.

The University of Tehran has a wide variety of options for students at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral level. The university has its 6 colleges with over 120 departments. The university has faculties which offer specialized degrees in subjects like Environment, Psychology, and Education, Foreign Languages and Literature, Theology and Islamic Studies, Law and Political Science and many more.

The University of Tehran, as the main research University of the Country, offers more than 300 post graduate programs. Fifteen percent of the country’s Centers of Excellence, as recognized by the government, are located at the University of Tehran, which along with more than 40 research centers ensure UT’s commitment to research. Together, over 3,500 laboratories are active in these centers and in the faculties.

The university offers short term programs for students in Persian language and Islamic studies and distance learning for international students.

Research and Innovation

University of Tehran is appointed as the Center of Excellence (قطب علمی) by Iran's Ministry of Science and Technology in the fields of "Evaluation and improvement of irrigation networks", "Breeding and Biotechnology of trees", "Farming, Grading and Biotechnology", "Applied Electromagnetic Systems", "Land Logistics", "Sustainable Urban Planning and Development", "Architectural Technology", "Biological Control of Pests and Plant Diseases", "Rural Studies and Planning", "High-Performance Materials", "Control and Intelligent Processing", "Sustainable Management of Watershed", "Applied Management of Fast Growing Wood Species", "Surveying and Disaster Management", "Engineering and Infrastructure Management", "Oil and Gas". This appointment is based on national standing based on research achievements and invested funding in the mentioned topics.

Libraries and Publication Center

As the largest academic library in Iran, the Central Library and Documentation Center of the University of Tehran includes a selection of resources in different fields of science, technology, and literature. The library holdings include over one million books, periodicals, manuscripts, microfilms, pictorial copies, historical documents and photos, lithography books, academic dissertations, scientific documents and maps, over 120,000 books in English, French, German, Russian, Italian, and other languages.

The Central Library and Documentation Center of the University of Tehran has been a member of the International Federation of Library Associations and institutions (IFLA) since 1967. The library complements the 35 specialized libraries based at different faculties, all with the aim of advancing the research goals of the university. Currently the Central Library and Documentation Center is offering its services to more than 65 thousand members. It hosts more than 5,000 users daily.

The library offers its resources under 13 main collections (most of which have been donated by distinguished professors of the university). The manuscript collection of the University of Tehran includes over 17,000 volumes of manuscripts in Persian, Arabic and Turkish. The library also hosts a state of the art center for the preservation of manuscripts.

The University of Tehran Press (UTP), which focuses on publishing academic books, has published over 5,000 books up until today, and currently publishes on average more than one book per day.

Student Life and Activities

The University of Tehran provides accommodation to students with all the basic amenities to make their stay comfortable and safe. The university also has an academic library called The Central Library. There are around 56 libraries situated all over the university containing over 1,00,000 books, 18,000 manuscripts, 19,000 journals and periodical, and around 60,000 historical documents. The library is also the centre for the preservation of manuscripts and documentaries.

The University of Tehran also takes care of the students’ mental and physical growth and organizes various curricular and co-curricular activities for students at the national and international level. The university has various students clubs which organize domestic and overseas trips for recreational and educational purposes.

Notable Alumni

Many of the most important figures in Iranian political, academic, and social life have been associated with the University of Tehran. These include:

Mohammad Mosaddegh: Prime Minister of Iran from 1951 to 1953.
Mohammad Khatami: Fifth President of Iran.
Shirin Ebadi: Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
Asghar Farhadi: Academy Award-winning film director.
Ali Javan: Co-inventor of the gas laser.
Lotfi A. Zadeh: Mathematician, electrical engineer, computer scientist, artificial intelligence researcher, and professor emeritus of computer science at the University of California, Berkeley.
Mohammad Beheshti: Scholar, writer, jurist, and one of the main architects of the constitution of the Islamic Republic in Iran.
Mehdi Bazargan: Head of Iran's interim government after the Iranian Revolution of 1979.
Jamshid Amouzegar: Economist, artist, and politician who was prime minister from 7 August 1977 to 27 August 1978 when he resigned.
Mohammad Reza Aref Politician and academic scholar. He was First Vice President from 2001 to 2005 under Mohammad Khatami.

University Ranking

The QS world university ranking has listed the university amongst the top 750 universities worldwide.

Tuition and Financial Support

University of Tehran is a public university and its funding is provided by the government of Iran. For the top ranks of the national university entrance exam, education is free in all public universities. The people with ranks below the normal capacity of the universities will be required to pay part or all of the tuition.

University of Tehran provides scholarships to students every year to give the students an opportunity to grow and excel, scholarships are given to limited students on the basis of previous rankings. The universities acceptance is low as well the tuition fee is affordable as compared to other universities.

Emblem

The emblem of the University of Tehran is based on an image which can be found in the stucco relief and seals of the Sasanid period. It is a copy from a stucco relief discovered in the city of Ctesiphon. The seal symbolized ownership. In the Sassanid period, these seals were used in stucco reliefs, coins, and silver utensils as a family symbol. The motif is placed between two eagle wings. One can also find these motifs in other images of this period, such as in royal crowns, particularly at the end of the Sasanid period. Crowns with these seals have been called "two-feather crowns" in the Shahnameh. The motif between the wings was made by combining Pahlavi scripts. Some scholars have tried to read these images.

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