Book Garden Opens in Tehran on July 3

TEHRAN.(Iranart) –he Book Garden, located in the Abasabad Hills in north Tehran, will officially open on July 3, after its inauguration was postponed several times.

All sections of the project will be launched at the opening ceremony,” Mehr News Agency quoted Majid Hosseini, director-general of the Book Garden as saying.

Covering a total area of 65,000 square meters indoor exhibition space, one of the largest of its kind, it is basically a huge permanent bookstore which will remain open throughout the year, providing ample space and amenities to help promote book reading.

The vast collection of books will be suitable for people of all status and age. Special areas will cater to the needs of children and adolescents.

Publishers and book stores have been invited to attended the inauguration and contribute to the Book Garden.

The open grounds surrounding the buildings, covering 45,000 sq m, includes an artificial lake, a restaurant and a coffee shop and playgrounds for kids. A parking area for up to 5,000 cars is planned for the new venue.

It has five halls with the main accommodating 600 people for theater, stage plays and orchestral music performances. There are four research halls, where academics can hold classes for university students.

Tehran Book Garden is located on Haqani Highway, adjacent to the National Library and Archives Organization of Iran (NLAI).

It is part of Abasabad Cultural Complex which also includes Nature Bridge, Flag Tower, Gonbad Mina (Enamel Dome) Planetarium, Art Garden, Sacred Defense Garden Museum and Flower Garden.

There are 3,000 bookstores in Iran, 1,200 in Tehran. There are still some regions in the country where there is high demand for books, but not even a single store exists to meet the need. The book market is also struggling with recession, mainly due to surge in the prices. The average price of a book currently stands at about $4.