15th Bita Prize for Persian Arts: Hossein Amanat

October 4, 2025

Hossein Amanat established his international reputation in 1966 when, as a recent graduate, he won a nationwide competition to design the Shahyad (now Azadi) Monument in Tehran—an architectural icon that has since become a symbol of modern Iran. This early success led to a series of prestigious commissions, including some of the most acclaimed modern buildings in Iran: the Persian Heritage Centre; the School of Management at the University of Tehran; the Aryamehr (now Sharif) University of Technology; the Iranian Embassy in Beijing—regarded as one of the architectural highlights of the city's diplomatic quarter—and the planning of Darya Kenar, a new town on the Caspian Sea.

Born in Iran in 1942, it was remarkable that such a young architect was entrusted with projects of this scale and importance. Even more significant is Amanat’s distinctive design philosophy: among the first Iranian architects to harmonize contemporary architectural principles with the rich legacy of traditional Persian design. At a time when Western cultural and artistic influence was dominant in Iran—and when many architects were following the International Style—Amanat was pioneering an original synthesis of modernity and tradition.

Amanat’s innovative practice, deeply rooted in Persian architectural heritage, was abruptly interrupted by the 1979 Islamic Revolution, marking a dramatic turning point in his life and career. As a member of the persecuted Baha'i faith, he and his young family were forced into exile. Following a brief stay in Europe, they immigrated to Canada in 1980, where Amanat established a renewed and diverse architectural practice.

Amanat’s work has earned many design awards and led to global invitations to lecture on architecture. He is among the founding faculty of the Baha’i Institute for Higher Education (BIHE), a grassroots institution established in response to the Iranian government’s systematic denial of education to Baha'is. He has also contributed to the University of British Columbia (UBC) as a visiting critic at the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, and recently served on a committee that successfully raised funds for a new tenure-track position in Persian Language and Iranian Studies.

In recognition of his lifetime achievements and contributions to architecture, Hossein Amanat was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters by UBC in May 2024—a fitting tribute to a visionary architect whose work continues to inspire. Deeply engaged with Iranian history and literature, Amanat consistently draws on these cultural sources, demonstrating a remarkable ability to blend diverse traditions into his distinctive, enduring architectural language.

ABOUT THE BITA PRIZE FOR PERSIAN ARTS:

The annual Bita Prize for Persian Arts is awarded by the Stanford Iranian Studies Program to an artist of Iranian ancestry whose work, in the course of their lifetime, has exhibited singular achievements in both the realm of aesthetics and in the essence of defending the rights of artists to create, free from any fetters. The recipient is invited to Stanford University to give a public lecture and receive the prize. Since its inception in 2008, the Bita Prize has been awarded to outstanding Iranian scholars, artists and creators.