Gholhak Garden

Gholhak Garden (alternatively Qolhak Garden or Gulhak Garden) is a British diplomatic compound in the northern Tehran neighborhood of Gholhak in Iran, about 3 miles from the centre of Tehran. The sprawling tree-lined site, bordered by high walls, measures 200,000-square-metre (50 acres) and houses British diplomats and their families. The compound is also home to the Tehran War Cemetery. The site has been at the centre of diplomatic controversy between Britain and Iran over ownership and management of the grounds.

The Qajar monarchy gave the land for Gholhak Garden to the British in the 19th century at the height of their imperial power for their ambassador to use as a summer residence. At the time, Gholhak was a small village outside of Tehran.

Gholhak Garden is separate from the historic British embassy several miles south in central Tehran, where British ambassadors have now lived for decades. Today, several British diplomats and their families as well as some Iranian embassy staff reside in the Gholhak complex.

Built in 1962, the Tehran War Cemetery is also located on the site, and is where over 500 British and Commonwealth soldiers who perished in the First and Second World wars are buried. The Gholhak grounds also contain the Tehran British Council and a school.

The École Française de Téhéran, the French school, is on the property of Gholhak Garden.

The Islamic Republic of Iran, which has had strained relations with the United Kingdom, has on occasion demanded the return of the Gholhak property to Iran. In 2006, 162 Iranian MPs demanded an inquiry into the garden's status.

In 2007, government hardliners in Iran held a conference on Gholhak, arguing that British ownership was acquired illegally during the reign of Rezā Shāh in the 1930s. The conference secretary stated, "During the Reza Shah period the British embassy, without going through the proper legal processes, registered this area under its name. This is while they could have bought it. They can buy it now if they like. But first they should accept that the historical process was wrong and then they are free to buy." The same year, Iranian MPs tabled a bill calling on the Iranian government to force Britain to relinquish Gholhak and convert it into an anti-colonial museum.

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Wikipedia