ENCHANTING TRICK
Tehran Opera
Where Architecture Meets Aspiration, and Heritage Finds Its Voice. The home of the National Opera, National Ballet, and National Orchestra of Iran. An architectural monument for the capital in which Les Ballets Persans will someday build its nest.
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Entrepreneur: City of Tehran
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A Symbol of Cultural Renaissance
Where Architecture Meets Aspiration, and Heritage Finds Its Voice
In the heart of Tehran, a city of contrasts and convergences, rises the vision of a new cultural landmark: the Tehran Opera. This project is not merely a building – it is a bold architectural statement and a cultural institution designed to restore Iran’s historical position as a center of refined performance art. Rooted in tradition yet sculpted by futuristic ambition, the Tehran Opera aspires to become a beacon of Iranian artistry in the 21st century.
A Visionary Architect at the Helm
The design of the Tehran Opera is entrusted to Khosrow Jamali (known as Jamal), an Iranian American architect and visual artist based in California. A graduate of California State University, Los Angeles, Jamali earned his M.A. in Art in 1983. His multifaceted career encompasses architecture, visual arts, and stage design, reflecting a deep commitment to cultural expression and innovation.
Art revives a nation. Tehran Opera will lead.Nima Kiann
A National and International Stage
Designed to house world-class opera, ballet, music, and interdisciplinary performances, the Tehran Opera will be a platform for Iranian and international artists alike. Its programming will reflect a dual mission: to promote the legacy of Persian classical and contemporary performing arts, and to foster global cultural exchange.
More than a venue, it will be an incubator – for ideas, for voices, for generations of artists yet to
come.
Bridging a Historical Void
Iran’s National Ballet once graced the stage of the iconic Roudaki Hall. After decades of artistic silence following the 1979 revolution, the Tehran Opera emerges as a symbolic and literal return of a voice long suppressed. It revives not only an architectural typology but also a lineage of state supported artistic excellence.
As a cultural gesture, this project proposes to complete a narrative that was interrupted, and in doing so, to help define a new one – a chapter in which Iranian artistry is neither exiled nor hidden, but illuminated and celebrated.
Site and Urban Context
Strategically positioned in the cultural district of Tehran, the opera house will act as a gravitational center for the city’s artistic ecosystem. Its proximity to universities, galleries, and performance venues ensures it will not stand in isolation but in dialogue with the city’s intellectual and creative currents.The plaza and public spaces surrounding the building will be designed to invite openness and accessibility, offering the public a place to gather, reflect, and participate – even beyond performance hours.
A Living Archive and an Educational Mandate
The Tehran Opera will include a dedicated Dance and Performing Arts Archive, documenting the institutional and contemporary history of Iranian performance. It will also house a Research Center, Choreographic Lab, and Opera Studio for young creators, ensuring that its influence is not only performative but pedagogical and scholarly.