El Goli (, ), also called Shah Goli (, ) is a large historic park (or garden) in the south east region of

Tabriz Tabriz (; ) is a city in the Central District (Tabriz County), Central District of Tabriz County, in the East Azerbaijan province, East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran. It serves as capital of the province, the county, and the distric ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. One of its main features is its large artificial lake, measuring approximately 55.000 m2/592.015 ft square.

History and characteristics

Tradition dates the construction of the park to the late 18th century. However, it may have been built earlier as well; some sources suggest as far back as the 14th century. In the

Qajar The Guarded Domains of Iran, alternatively the Sublime State of Iran and commonly called Qajar Iran, Qajar Persia or the Qajar Empire, was the Iranian state under the rule of the Qajar dynasty, which was of Turkic origin,Cyrus Ghani. ''Iran an ...

period the park was restored and high terraces were added. The northern side of the lake was built up, which, according to

Penelope Hobhouse Penelope Hobhouse MBE (née Chichester-Clark; born 20 November 1929) is a British garden writer, designer, lecturer and television presenter. Early life Born into an Anglo-Irish family in Moyola Park, Castledawson, she is the daughter of Ja ...

, makes the lake "appear to float over the valley". A causeway leads out to a pavilion, today the site of a restaurant. The pavilion was once crowned with a dome. From the west hillside, a spring feeds the lake, a cascade descending in five terraces. The sight is flanked by poplar trees and

willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, of the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 350 species (plus numerous hybrids) of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions. Most species are known ...

Etymology

The park was first named Shah Goli (Shah Gölü), the "Royal Lake" or the "Royal Pond". After the

Islamic Revolution The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Im ...

of 1979, the park and the surrounding were renamed as El Gölü, "lake of the people".

Photo gallery

File:ائل گولی 1.jpg, El Gölü File:Shah Goli and Pars hotel.JPG, El Gölü lake and Hotel Pars in top of the hills. File:El goli.jpg, El Gölü lake from hills. File:Shah-Goli.Tabriz.jpg, Night view of El Gölü. File:ائل گولی 2.jpg, El Gölü File:ائل گولی 3.jpg, El Gölü

References

Sources

External links