Vanak

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Location of Vanak (black) in Municipal District No. 3 (dark grey) of Tehran metropolis
Location of Vanak (black) in Municipal District No. 3 (dark grey) of Tehran metropolis

Vanak (Persian: ونک) is a Maidan and a neighbourhood in the northern part of Tehran, capital of Iran. The word Vanak means "Small Tree" in Persian.

The name derives from the original older village of Vanak (Deh-e Vanak) in the area, and today there is also a square called Vanak nearby. Vanak is one of the important junctures in Tehran and the starting point for some of the city's highways such as the Jahan-Kudak and the Molla Sadra highways.

A small Armenian community has lived near the Vanak village for a very long time. Today the Ararat Sports Complex is the largest sports complex of Armenian Iranians. The complex located near Vanak square.

Vanak is an affluent neighbourhood with highrise commercial buildings, a golf course, chic cafés and malls, and a funfair called Funfair which has not been in operation since 1995.

Mostowfi ol-Mamalek, a former prime minister of Persia is buried in a private residence in Vanak neighbourhood .

[edit] Other places with the same name in Iran

There is a village with the same name in Farahan (Ashtian) in Markazi Province. Probably Mirza Hassan Ashtiani Mostowfi ol-Mamalek is from this village.

In addition there is another town with the same name (Vanak) near Semirom in Isfahan Province.