Shahr-e Bazi
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Shahr-e Bazi, Persian: شهر بزی (meaning The Game City in English, formerly Luna Park), is the name of Tehran's largest amusement park. It was renamed after the Iranian Revolution. It is said to be the largest amusement park in the Islamic Republic of Iran and one of the biggest in the world. It covers 150 acres (0.61 km²) of land. The amusement park was opened in the 1970s under the Shah. It was closed during the Iranian revolution. It was then reopened after the Iran-Iraq war in 1988. The owners of the park are the Iranian Government. The park has been made more technologically advanced over the past few years due to its popularity. There are around 2.5 million visitors to the amusement park every year. This is the second highest number in the Middle East after Dubai Land in Dubai which has around 3 million visitors per year.
Tehran's Shahr-e Bazi is located in the north of the city, next to the Shahid Mostafa Chamran Highway and adjacent to the Pasdaran neighbourhood. The high rise Homa Hotel looks down onto Shahr-e Bazi. The amusement park has 12 thrill rides, rides for the young, rides for the not-so-young and a cinema and theatre. There are also six restaurants with different food from around the world. Souvenir shops and an international money exchange office are located around the amusement park. The Information Center can help people, using a variety of languages including: Persian, Turkish, English, Arabic, Italian and French.
The park is open 10 months per year, during spring, summer and autumn. During the winter, heavy snow means the park remains closed due to safety and mechanical reasons. Admission is around $3 for adults, children under seven get in free. Many foreigners are amazed by what they see in a land of modesty. In the summer, the park is even more fun, with its water slides and pools. This is one the main reasons Shahr -e Bazi has increased in popularity in the past few years. In summer, the park is immensely crowded with rides and restaurants filled up.