Mellat Park is one of the oldest parks in Tehran, which has welcomed domestic and foreign tourists daily for many years. The park is of great importance in terms of history, antiquity, vastness, being located in beautiful and pleasant climates, principled architecture and facilities.
Known as the Royal Park (Park e-Shahanshahi) before the 1979 revolution, Mellat Park is a verdant landscape that offers a cozy and relaxed place with abundant fresh air to walk or picnic, and do exercise and many amazing beautiful views to enjoy and take artistic photos.
Considered as one of the biggest in Tehran, Mellat Park has an irregular design inspired by Britain parks with an area of 34 hectares. It was at first an arid land. Due to its special location, the construction of the park started in 1966 in two phases ordered by Queen Farah Pahlavi. The first phase included the part of the park that is located in the direction of Valiasr Street. The second, based on and inspired by the British designed parks, continued on the western hills and was utilized in 1974.
Situated adjacent to Valiasr Street at the east foot of the Alborz Mountains, Mellat Park extends to Chamran Expressway and Seoul Street to the west. It holds one of the first musical fountains in Tehran and includes facilities such as playgrounds, roller rink, snack bars, cafes, a small zoo with about 30 animal species, and a small aviary surrounded in about 120 species of trees, shrubs, and fruit trees. There is also the Mellat Gallery, 4D Movie Theater and Cineplex at the southeastern edge of the park, close to where Iran’s first steam locomotive is on exhibit. Besides, there is an artificial lake with an area of 22,000 square meters and a beautiful yellow bridge. Sport facilities such as; Football, Volleyball, and Badminton courts, Ping-Pong and Chess tables, and trekking routes are also available at the park.
As one of the attractions of the park, the first steam locomotive in Iran that transferred people from Tehran to Shah Abdol Azim Shrine in Qajar Era (1789-1925) is on display on its rail in the southern part of the park.
Mellat Park Gallery and Cineplex opened in 2008 in an area of 6,000 m2. The complex includes four theater halls, a Cinematheque, and a space for holding exhibitions and marketing cultural products.
