El Goli (Shah Goli) Park

Lakeside park with a Qajar-era pavilion at its centre, a favourite Tabriz escape

El Goli, known under the Pahlavis as Shah Goli, is Tabriz's best-loved park — an artificial square lake with an octagonal pavilion sitting on a raised platform in the middle, reached by a stone causeway. The site dates from the late 15th century and was redesigned and expanded several times under the Qajars; the present pavilion is an early-20th-century reconstruction.

Locals come here in the evenings to walk the perimeter path, hire pedal boats, and eat at one of the restaurants ringing the lake. There is a small amusement park at the western end and a teleski up the hillside above. It's a 15-minute taxi ride from the centre and well worth the trip, particularly around sunset.

things to do sight
A story
The square lake is exactly 250 metres on each side and was originally dug in the 15th century as a reservoir for the surrounding orchards. Local families still picnic on its banks every weekend, and the rowboats that paddle around the central pavilion have been a fixture of Tabriz life for more than a century.

Other places in Things to Do