Bagh Sangi Jamshidieh

Bagh Sangi Jamshidieh, which in Persian means "Jamshidieh's stone garden", is a small, twelve-hectare public park on one of the Southern slopes of the Alborz Mountains to the North of Tehran. It was transformed from an old, private fruit orchard that contained a residence at its narrowing Southern end, and was donated as a gift to the Imperial Family. Today, the park is extensively used by the residents of Tehran for picnics and recreation. To transform the old orchard into a park, stone walls were used to retain the rough earth terraces, paths were paved and, along them, sitting areas were designed; pools and cascades containing runoff water from the mountains were built, and various theme areas were conceived and fitted with stone or metal sculptures. At present, the park also contains a restaurant with a fine view overlooking Tehran, an exhibition hall for contemporary works of art, and a small administration building. Bagh Sangi Jamshidieh was created from an old, dilapidated, private orchard, with the intention of providing a public park for the residents of Tehran and featuring the characteristics of traditional Persian gardens. It was also expected to respond to the needs of contemporary visitors familiar with modern amenities. Accordingly, the park was to provide a contemporary restaurant, an open-air theatre for concerts and other performances, a children's library and recreation area (later transformed into an exhibition hall for contemporary art), an administrative centre with living areas for gardeners and caretakers, controlled access with a gate house, public toilets, and benches to rest upon as well as various gathering spots with pergolas and seating for picnicking. Dark-green coloured local stone from the mountains was used for paving, for the fountain basins and retaining walls, and for the water channels and waterfalls. A softer, light-coloured stone was used for the sculptures, although some are also crafted in steel.Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture