The Milad Tower was first proposed as part of the "Shahestan Pahlavi" project, in Tehran's Abbas Abad district. The project was designed by the American urban planner Jaquelin Robertson. The site was to encompass five million square meters of land, a third of which was to be open space. It would have accommodated 50,000 residents, as well as government ministries, commercial offices, and a number of cultural centers, including museums, facilities for the performing arts, and libraries, including the Pahlavi National Library. The project would have cost $5 billion ($21 billion adjusted for inflation). For a while the firm employed Lisa Halaby, the future Queen Noor of Jordan. With the advent of the Iranian revolution, the project was cancelled. The Milad Tower was the only part of Shahestan Pahlavi to be built.
Milad Tower's construction commenced in 2000. Upon completion of its 7-year-long construction in 2007, the Milad Tower was considered the 4th tallest free-standing telecommunication tower in the world.[3] A year later, in 2008, the tower was opened, albeit numerous conflicts on the history of the tower still prevail, such as some sources proving that commencement of the tower's construction was a year earlier instead of 2000 and that the tower was completed a year later instead of 2007. The tower was officially opened on 8 October 2008 by Tehran mayor, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf and members of City Council of Tehran. More than 250 local and foreign journalists covering the event.
