Tehran Book Garden

Tehran Book Garden (Persian: باغ کتاب تهران; Arabic: حديقة الكتاب في طهران) is a large bookshop and cultural complex located in the Abbasabad hills of northeastern Tehran, Iran. It is described in source material as the largest book garden or library for displaying, reading and selling books in the world, covering an area of about 110,000 square metres. The project was first proposed in 2004, construction was completed in 2016, and it was officially opened in July 2017. It is a major cultural landmark in the Iranian capital, combining retail bookselling with reading halls, green spaces, children's and young-adult science halls, a book ship, a hologram section, cinema and theatre halls, meeting spaces, galleries and prayer facilities. The Book Garden was conceived partly as an alternative and complement to the Tehran International Book Fair, whose popularity had demonstrated strong Iranian appetite for reading and discussing books. Its stated goals include increasing public access to books, promoting a reading culture, supporting book production, and introducing modern publishing technologies. The complex also aims to provide a space where readers from around the world can access Islamic sources and references about Iran and the Islamic Revolution, including an archive dating back to 1979. With book shelves extending over roughly 14,000 square metres, the Book Garden is presented as surpassing the Barnes & Noble bookstore in New York in scale. According to Newsweek, it holds more than 400,000 children's books, with shelves lowered to make them accessible to young readers. The rooftop terrace is covered with green spaces where readers can enjoy the sun while reading. The project is intended to raise reading rates in Iran and contribute to the scientific development of children and adults, as well as to revive young Iranians' desire to discover culture. As a commercial and cultural offering, Tehran Book Garden functions as a very large specialty book retailer and cultural destination rather than a conventional chain bookstore. It is associated with the municipality of Tehran and its website is hosted under the tehran.ir domain. Its scale, architectural ambition and mix of retail, educational and entertainment spaces make it a distinctive retail brand in the Iranian and global bookselling landscape.

The idea of a Tehran Book Garden was first proposed in 2004, prompted by the popularity of the Tehran International Book Fair, which had stimulated Iranians' appetite for reading and discussing books. The project was intended to offer an alternative to the international book fair, improve its performance, increase public access to books, entrench a reading culture, boost book production and promote modern publishing technologies. Construction of the complex was completed in 2016. It was officially opened in July 2017 in the Abbasabad hills of northeastern Tehran. The opening was treated as a major cultural event in Iran, offering the public access to a large-scale cultural and academic experience at a time when many large bookstores around the world had been closing. The Book Garden was designed as a vast cultural edifice with about 110,000 square metres of space, including green areas that provide a calm atmosphere for families and allow long hours of reading. Its book shelves extend over approximately 14,000 square metres, a scale presented as surpassing the Barnes & Noble store in New York. According to Newsweek, the complex holds more than 400,000 children's books, with shelves lowered to make them easily accessible to children. The complex includes numerous halls and spaces: a children's science hall, a young adults' science hall, a book ship, a hologram section, and a group of cinema, theatre and meeting halls, as well as Shahnameh stories. It also features various private spaces, galleries, exhibitions, cinemas and scientific courses. Because Iran is an Islamic republic, a place for prayer was designated within the global Book Garden. The rooftop terrace was covered with green spaces allowing readers from around the world to read while enjoying the sun. The library offers a diverse range of activities aimed at encouraging reading. One of the project's stated aims is to allow readers from around the world to access Islamic sources and references concerning Iran and the Islamic Revolution, with an archive dating back to 1979, the year of the Iranian Revolution that turned the country into an Islamic republic. The project is also intended to raise the reading rate in Iran, contribute significantly to the scientific development of children and adults, and revive young Iranians' desire to discover culture.

• 2017

  The Book Garden is officially opened in July in the Abbasabad hills of northeastern Tehran.

• 2016

  Construction of the Book Garden complex is completed.

• 2004

  The Tehran Book Garden project is first proposed, prompted by the popularity of the Tehran International Book Fair.

A world-scale cultural bookshop and reading destination combining retail, education and entertainment, positioned as the largest book garden in the world.

• Book retail and reading halls

• Children's science hall

• Young adults' science hall

• Book ship

• Hologram section

• Cinema, theatre and meeting halls

• Shahnameh stories

• Rooftop green reading spaces

• Prayer area

1. 1Tehran Book Garden - Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2حديقة الكتاب في طهران - Arabic Wikipediaar.wikipedia.org