Mellat Park

🧭What kind of place is it?

The park is bounded by Valiasr Street to the east, the Enghelab sports complex to the west, the national broadcaster's headquarters to the north and the Hashemi Rafsanjani Expressway to the south. The part along the street feels very different from the hilly western part, so your walk depends on which side you come in from.

🕰️When was it built?

Work on the park began in 1966 on waste ground. The first section, along the street, opened in 1968 and the second in 1974. Before the 1979 revolution it was called Shahanshahi Park.

🏛️What was it built for?

The park was made for walking in the open air, and a cinema complex and gallery were later added in its south-west corner. The Mellat cinema complex opened in 2008 and has screening rooms and exhibition spaces.

👀What you will see

• The older part beside Valiasr is a boulevard about a thousand metres long running along the street.
• The western hills form the second part of the park, and their paths are not level with the part by the street.
• The Mellat cinema building stands on a long strip of land at the far south-west end of the park and opens onto its grounds.
• Inside the cinema complex there is a gallery for art exhibitions as well as the cinema halls.

💡Something interesting

The hilly section was designed by Iraj Etesam, inspired by the English landscape park. It was built separately from the first boulevard by the street, and those two phases explain why the parts of the park look so different.