Tabriz Fire Tower

Situated in the northwestern region of Iran, Tabriz has had a leading role in the foundation of many rather modern establishments in Iran it is the reason that Tabriz is also called the “City of Firsts”. The first municipality of Iran was established in Tabriz and subsequently, many city services, such as the fire department, were established in this city for the first time. The Tabriz Fire Tower, which is located in the central areas of this city is reminiscent of the first fire station in Iran. This brick tower is called “Yanqin” in the Azari language.

Tabriz Fire Station was the first one to be established in Iran. This fire station was built in 1844 AD under the supervision of Russians. Later on, the second and third fire stations were established in southern cities of Iran to provide relief to oil refinery establishments.

Features of Tabriz Fire Tower

This fire tower the construction of which dates back to 1917 AD i.e. the Qajar era (19th century) is 23 meters high. The tower looks circular on the inside, but it is octagonal on the outside. A spiral staircase is the access route to the top of the tower. The firefighting station of Tabriz, which was the first firefighting station in Iran, had been established in 1832.

At that time, Tabriz's fire department was equipped with advanced equipment and could reach the place of fire as soon as the warning was issued. Using the equipment at their disposal, the firemen filled their tanks from the nearby reservoirs for extinguishing the fire. Since using automated vehicles was not so common at that time, several barrels filled with water were placed on the carriages that were located at the fire station to be used for attending to the accident incidents.

Some of the equipment used by the Tabriz fire station, including the copper hand pumps that two people used to stand on both sides to pump water are now kept in the Tabriz Firefighters’ Museum.

Functionality of Tabriz Fire Tower

The main function of the fire tower was observation. In the distant past, when the means of communication were not very advanced, a watchman from the top of the tower would monitor the entire city, so that in case of a fire or an accident, he would ring a big bronze bell installed in the tower and send the firefighters to the scene of the accident. The sound of this bell was so loud that the whole city would be aware of an incident and, if needed, they would rush to help the victims. The eight skylights of the tower in different directions allowed the observer to see every part of the city.

The height of the tower also made it possible for the public to see it from different parts of the city. Therefore, a lamp was ignited on the top of the tower so that the city center could be shown to travelers from a distance, and in the event of an accident, people could quickly attend to it. For this reason, some people had given the title of “Tabriz Lighthouse” to this tower. Although this tower is not functional today, its height and magnanimity attract viewers.

Tabriz Fire Tower was inscribed on the list of Iran’s national heritage in the year 1998.

The Tabriz Fire Tower the construction of which dates back to 1917 AD i.e. the Qajar era (19th century) is 23 meters high and although it looks octagonal on the outside it is circular on the inside.