Eram Garden

About this place

Eram Garden is a historic Persian garden in Shiraz, on the north bank of the Khoshk River, among the loveliest in the city with its cypresses, palms, flowers and colourful Qajar pavilion. It belongs to the Persian Garden sites on the UNESCO list. It offers a calm, shaded place to walk after the mosques and bazaars of the city. Its origins may go back to the 12th century under the Seljuks, when a garden later called Bagh-e Shah probably stood on the site until the 18th century. The present garden and pavilions were designed in the 19th century, founded in 1824 by Muhammad Qoli Khan Ilkhani, chief of the Qashqai tribe. Several owners held it after that. You walk a long path beside a narrow water channel edged with flowers until you reach the pavilion with its decorated facade, three storeys high with a wide pool before it. The facade looks finest reflected in the water. The garden holds many kinds of plants, so take your time, above all in spring when the flowers open. It is about 3 km in a straight line from the Tomb of Hafez and about 4 km from Nasir al-Mulk Mosque. The best time is March to May. Arriving in the morning helps you avoid the crowds. The UK Foreign Office currently advises against all travel to Iran and warns that British nationals risk detention, so check official guidance before making any plans. We could not confirm the current state of this site.