El Goli (, ), also called Shah Goli ( fa, شاه گلی, Šāh Goli, az, شاه گؤلۆ, script=Arab, italic=no, Şah Gölü) is a large historic park (or garden) in the south east region of

Tabriz Tabriz ( fa, تبریز ; ) is a city in northwestern Iran, serving as the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. It is the sixth-most-populous city in Iran. In the Quru River valley in Iran's historic Azerbaijan region between long ridges of vo ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. One of its main features is its large artificial lake, measuring 210 meters/700 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 Qajar Iran (), also referred to as Qajar Persia, the Qajar Empire, '. Sublime State of Persia, officially the Sublime State of Iran ( fa, دولت علیّه ایران ') and also known then as the Guarded Domains of Iran ( fa, ممالک م ...

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 (born 20 November 1929), née Chichester-Clark, 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 Jame ...

, 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, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist so ...

Etymology

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

Islamic Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dyna ...

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