Arg Square

Arg Square (Persian: میدان ارگ تهران) also known as Shah Square or the Old Toopkhaneh Square (not to be confused with the later Toopkhaneh Square), was a historic square located in the northern part of Old Tehran, inside the Safavid era city walls built by Shah Tahmasp. The square was situated at the southwestern corner of the Arg of Tehran.

Arg Square, Tehran
Shah Square (during the Qajar era)
File:Meidan i Shah Tehran by Eugène Flandin.jpg View of the Royal Arg Square by Eugène Flandin, 1840
Type	Square
Location	Tehran, Tehran Province, Iran
Coordinates
Built	Qajar era

History

The history of the Arg of Tehran goes back to the Safavid era. The Arg itself was surrounded by its own walls and a moat separating it from the city. Between the moat and the entrance to the Arg, a square was formed. This space was known by several names: Shah Square, Old Toopkhaneh (because of the presence of various cannons, including the famous Pearl Cannon), Golshan Garden, Arg Square, and Takht-e Pol (because a wooden bridge was built across the moat to access it). During the reign of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar, the cannons were removed from this square and transferred to the newly built Toopkhaneh Square. The only surviving remnant of the old Toopkhaneh Square is the Pearl Cannon.

This square was the first and oldest square of the capital city.

In the Qajar era, Arg Square was much larger than it is today. After the construction projects of the early modernization of Tehran, its area was reduced and replaced by buildings such as the National Bank (Bāzār branch), the Palace of Justice, and the Tehran Radio Station. The square, which had existed since the Zand dynasty, was named Arg during the reign of Fath-Ali Shah Qajar. Later, it became known as Shah Square, Old Toopkhaneh, and Golshan Garden. Today, only a small part of the once vast Arg Square remains, known as 15 Khordad Square.

Edward Granville Browne who visited Tehran in 1888, described the space as follows: "Arg Square is a beautiful square, well paved, with trees planted all around. In the center there is a large octagonal pool of water, around which gas lamps are installed. At the southern end of the square, a platform has been built upon which stands a large wheeled cannon, the famous Pearl Cannon, an exceptional and remarkable piece. Like the royal stables and various other places, it was considered a place of bast (sanctuary for offenders)."

Gallery

• Error creating thumbnail:
  Pearl Cannon in Arg Square
• Error creating thumbnail:
  Radio Tehran station in Arg Square
• Pahlevani wrestling performance in Arg Square during the Qajar era
  Pahlevani wrestling performance in Arg Square during the Qajar era
• Arg Square, 1910
  Arg Square, 1910
• The Arg Gate, 1885
  The Arg Gate, 1885
• The Arg Gate, 1892
  The Arg Gate, 1892

External links

• (in Persian) Persian article on Farsi Wikipedia