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Tabriz



is the forth largest city of Iran and the capital of East Azarbaijan Province. Situated at an altitude of 1,350 meters above sea level at the junction of the Ghuri Chay (Ghuri River) and Aji Chay, (Aji River), it was the second largest city in Iran until the late 1960s and one of its former capitals and residence of the crown prince under the Qajar dynasty. The city has proven extremely influential in the country’s recent history. Tabriz is located in a valley to the north of the long ridge of the volcanic cone of Sahand, south of the Eynali mountain. The valley opens out into a plain that slopes down gently to the northern end of Lake Urmia, 60 km to the west.

With a population of about 1,600,000,[1] Tabriz is Iran's fourth largest city, after Tehran, Mashhad and Esfahān and the second industrial city of country after capital Tehran. It is a summer resort and a commercial, industrial, and transportation center. [2]

With a very rich history, Tabriz used to house many historical monuments. Unfortunately, many of them were destroyed in repeated invasions and attacks of foreign forces, negligence of the ruling governments, as well natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods. What remains now mostly dates back to the Ilkhanids, the Safavids, and the Qajars. Some of the monuments are unrivalled masterpieces of architecture.

History
Medieval and renaissance history

In AD 791, Zubaidah, the wife of Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid, rebuilt Tabriz after a devastating earthquake and beautified the city so much as to obtain the credit for having been its founder[7].

After the Mongol invasion, Tabriz came to eclipse Maragheh as the later Ilkhanid capital of Azarbaijan until sacked by Tamerlane in 1392.[9] Chosen as a capital by Arghun Khan, fourth ruler of the Ilkhanate, for its favoured location in the northwestern grasslands,[10] in 1295, his successor Ghazan Khan made it the chief administrative centre of an empire stretching from Egypt to the Oxus River and from the Caucasus to the Indian Ocean. Under his rule new walls were built around the city, and numerous public buildings, educational facilities, and caravansarais were erected to serve traders travelling on the ancient Silk Road. The Byzantine Gregory Choniades is said to have served as the city's Orthodox bishop during this time.[citation needed]

From 1375 to 1468, Tabriz was the capital of Kara Koyunlu state in Azarbaijan[11], and from 1469 to 1501 the capital of Ak Koyunlu state.

Before the expansion of Altaic languages in the area, Iranian languages[12] were spoken in Tabriz and Azerbaijan. The 13th century manuscript Safina-yi Tabriz has poems in what its Tabriz-born author has called the Tabrizi dialect (Zaban-i-Tabrizi)[13]. Samples of the Tabrizi dialect of the wider Old Azari language include quatrains recorded in Tabrizi dialect by Abd al-Qadir Maraghi, phrases from Baba Faraji Tabrizi and poems in Tabrizi in the Safina-yi Tabriz, and poetry from Homam Tabrizi, Mama Esmat Tabrizi, Maghrebi Tabrizi and others. Before the Safavid revolution, Tabriz was predominantely a Shafi'ite and Sunni city.

In 1501, Shah Ismail I entered Tabriz and proclaimed it the capital of his Safavid state. In 1514, after the Battle of Chaldiran, Tabriz was temporarily occupied by the Ottomans, but remained the capital of Safavid Iranian empire until 1548, when Shah Tahmasp I transferred it to Qazvin.

Between 1585 and 1603, Tabriz was controlled by the Ottomans but was then returned to the Safavids after which it grew as a major commercial centre, conducting trade with the Ottoman Empire, Russia, central Asia, and India. In 1724 the city was again occupied by the Ottomans, and it was held by Russia in 1828.

Blue Mosque






Shabestan masjed-e-jomeh tabriz




Cuisine

see also: Iranian Cuisine

kofta (Koufteh) Tabrizi - is a special food prepared in Tabriz. Some restaurants offer kofta Tabrizi on their menu but the quality is not as good as when it is prepared by Tabriz families at home.The word kofta is derived from Persian kūfta: In Persian, کوفتن kuftan means "to beat" or "to grind".[19]

Dolma - is traditionally a Turkic food, delicious and special. It is prepared by eggplant, capsicum, tomato or zucchini filled with mixture of meat, split pea, onion and different spices.

Garniyarikh - (Lit."the torn abdomen" in Azeri) another traditional food which is a kind of Dolma filled with meat, garlic, almonds and spices.

Ashs - are a kind of soup which are prepared by bouillon, different vegetables, carrot, noodle and spices.

Chelow kabab - is the national dish of Iran, prepared by kebab and tomato on a plate of rice. Tabriz is famous for its Chelow kabab in Iran.

There is also delicious confections, biscuits and cookies, some of which are Tabriz specialities including Ghorabiye, Eris, Nugha, Tasbihi, Latifeh, Ahari, Lovadieh, Lokum and many others.

koofte Tabrizy








Dolme



Ghorabiyeh



Split pea



shis kabab



Monuments and Landmarks

Several times in its history (e.g., in 858, 1041, and 1721), Tabriz was devastated by earthquakes which wiped out most of the historic monuments. One important monument that has survived these earthquakes is the Tabriz Citadel (Arg-e Tabriz or Ark-e Alishah), a ruin of vertical book-shaped elements. The Blue Mosque of Tabriz (مسجد کبود Göy-Masjid) is another important monument in the city. Some notable monuments include:
Bazaars

* Grand Bazaar of Tabriz

Bridges (Historical)

* Aji River bridge, an old bridge on the Aji River, beside the airport street
* Ghari Bridge, historical bridges on the Ghuri River

Churches

* Armenian [disambiguation needed] church of Adontist
* Armenian [disambiguation needed] church of Saint Mary
* Assyrian [disambiguation needed] church
* Catholic church of Tabriz

Hamams (Turkish bath)

* Historic Nobar Hamam
* Ferdowsi Hamam

Houses (Historical)

* Amir Nezam House
* Behnam House (School of Architecture, Islamic art university of Tabriz)
* Boulourchian House
* Constitutional House of Tabriz
* House of Seghat ol Islam
* Sharbatoglu House
* Ghadaki House

Monuments

* Ark-e Tabriz
* Charm Sazi-e Khosravi (faculty of Applied Arts)
* Saat Tower (Tabriz Municipality)
* Tabriz Fire Fighting Tower
* Tabriz Railway Station

Mosques

* Blue Mosque (Göy Masjid)
* Friday Mosque of Tabriz
* Saheb ol Amr
* Shohada Mosque

Museums

* Museum of Azarbaijan
* Museum of Qajar (Amir Nezam House)
* Shahryar Literature Museum (House of late poet Shahryar)
* Museum of Ostad Bohtouni
* Measures Museum
* Museum of Nature
* Museum of "Iran municipalities history" in Saat Tower

Parks and Gardens

* Golestan Park (Golestan garden)
* Baghlar Baghi
* Shah Gholi park
* Shams Tabrizi Garden
* Saeb Tabrizi Garden
* Khaqani Park
* Garden of Ghaem Magham

Schools (Madresseh) & universities

* Ruins of Rabe Rashidi University
* Madrasseh Akbarieh

Shrines and Tombs

* Boq'e Imamzade Ibrahim
* Maqbaratoshoara (Tomb of Poets)
* Seyed Hamzeh shrine
* Shrine of On ibn ali
* Tomb of Two Kamals

Streets (Historical)

* Tarbiyat street
* Ferdowsi street
* Shahnaz street

Bazaar of Tabriz



Behnam's House, Sahand University of Technology, Tabriz, Azerbaijan, Iran




Ghadaki House



Saheb ol Amr



Ruins of Rabe Rashidi University



a historical house






Catholic church of Tabriz



Amir Nezam House (Qajar museum)



Tabriz Municipality



Shopping

Shopping locations in the city center including the Grand Bazaar of Tabriz, the pedestrian mall on Tarbiyat street, Shahnaz and ferdowsi streets have lots of traditional and modern boutiques of jewelry, rug, clothes, handcrafts, confectionary and drynuts shops, home appliances and many others.

[edit] Tabriz International Exhibition

Tabriz has annual international exhibitions at different times of a year that companies from all around the world bring their products.[20]

Silver handcrafts of Tabriz



Tabriz potteries samples



Tabriz is a really beautiful city.if you come to Iran i proffer to you come to Tabriz.