What it means
بلندمرتبه (boland-martabe) is a compound adjective used in Persian to describe tall, multi-storey buildings, equivalent to English “high-rise.” The first element, بلند (boland), means tall or high and is native Persian. The second element, مرتبه (martabe), comes from Arabic مرتبة (root ر-ت-ب, meaning to arrange or rank), where it originally meant a level or rank. In Persian it took on the sense of storey or floor. The compound therefore means literally “of high storey” or “of high rank,” and in contemporary usage it refers specifically to tall residential or commercial towers. The equivalent phrase ساختمان بلند (sakhteman-e boland) is also common, but بلندمرتبه is the preferred adjective in urban planning and real-estate contexts.
How to use it
- تهران پر از ساختمانهای بلندمرتبه است. (Tehran por az sakhtemanha-ye boland-martabe ast.) “Tehran is full of high-rise buildings.”
- در این محله اجازه ساخت بلندمرتبه نمیدن. (dar in mahalle ejaze-ye sakhte boland-martabe nemi-dan.) “In this neighbourhood they don’t allow high-rise construction.”
- آپارتمان بلندمرتبه گرانتر از ویلاست. (aperteman-e boland-martabe gerantar az vilast.) “A high-rise apartment is more expensive than a villa.”
- برجهای بلندمرتبه منظرهی شهر رو خراب میکنن. (borjha-ye boland-martabe manzare-ye shahr ro kharab mikonan.) “High-rise towers ruin the city’s view.”
Cultural note
Rapid urbanisation in Iran, especially from the 1990s onward, drove a surge in بلندمرتبه construction in Tehran and other major cities. Tehran’s Milad Tower and the Elahiyeh skyline are symbols of this shift. Urban planners and municipal authorities use the word frequently in zoning regulations, where height limits for بلندمرتبه buildings are a recurring point of debate. Critics argue that unchecked high-rise development has blocked natural light, strained infrastructure, and degraded neighbourhood character in older districts.