Elgoli | Tabriz’s most famous park

El Goli | photo by :Faranak

Elgoli

Elgoli or Shahgoli is one of the most important tourist attractions of Tabriz that due to its beauty and history, it is considered as one of the main symbols of this city alongside symbols like Maghbarat-o- Shoaraa (mausoleum of poets) and Saat (clock) square.

Elgoli Lake

The early establishment of Elgoli garden’s reservoir is said to be associated with Agqoyunlu kings which was later expanded in the Safaviye era. Pool’s base is on the ground and no construction materials were used to cover it. This lake has a depth of 12 meters and a total surface area of 5.5 hectares.

In the Ghajar’s era, the high mountain on the pool’s East side was formed into platforms and wide and ordered steps that through some parts of them streams and waterfalls were built in a fixed distance.
This place is filled with exceptional beauties during all seasons of the year, especially in winter when the lake’s water freezes and gives a unique display of ice and water to its local environment.

It should be mentioned that in Turkish, “Gol” means pool and “Shah” means big, despite its common belief to mean “King” which was generally what a big pool was called back then, that after the revolution was renamed to Elgoli, meaning ” people’s lake”.

The lake is surrounded by maples, weeping willows, Tabrizi trees, petunia and geranium flowers with cobblestone stairs.

Pavilion

Elgoli palace is a beautiful octagonal diamond shaped building with a small dome that was built in 2 stories and is showing off like an island in Elgoli’s pool. Inside the building there is a basin which sources from up in the mountain and is used to be a promenade for princes in the Ghajar’s era and nowadays it is turned into a restaurant and a receptionist hall.

Shahzade Mirza built this small mansion when he was ruling in Tabriz, and was thinking of making it his country palace, but he passed away before renovations were finished and his children considered this as an unfortunate omen, so the mansion was abandoned. Later, the king’s pool was used to save water for irrigating farms and city gardens.

Elgoli, in addition to having a pool and a palace, contains different and appealing attractions like greeneries, boat riding, ski resorts, golf courses, amusement parks, solar clocks and etc…

To read this article in Persian Language Click here.

* Written by Tannaz Akbari and Translated by Arefeh Firouzan.

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