National Garden Gate

Before Azadi Tower was built in 1971, National Garden Gate used to be the symbol of Tehran.

The famous gate is a southern entrance to National Garden, a historical compound in downtown Tehran.

Mirza Mehdi Khan Shaqaqi (1843-1919), known as Momtahen ol-Dowleh, the first Iranian architect (in the academic sense) designed the gate and the compound. He was a graduate of architecture from higher learning institutions in Paris and his work is a combination of Iranian and European designs.

In the Qajar era (1786-1925), the National Garden used to be a garrison with a shooting range. The compound was adorned with the monumental gate before World War II broke out.

The gate has one large central door flanked by two smaller doors. It is built with tailor-made bricks and partly covered with tiles. The tiles show the sun-and-lion motif, guns and cannonballs.

National garden gate can be seen from Imam Khomeini Avenue near Imam Khomeini Square.