TABRIZ TRAVEL GUIDE
Things to Do in Tabriz – Activities & Attractions
—————————Ο————————
Steeped in history, the friendly city of Tabriz is located along the northern side of Mount Sahand and is renowned for its friendly locals who are ready to embrace everyone. The city is the capital of East Azerbaijan Province of Iran and is a treasure trove for visitors and history buffs. There are indications that Tabriz was home to civilizations right from the Stone Age. Today, it is an economic hub and thriving metropolitan in Northwest Iran, in Quru River Valley.
Tabriz has the distinction of being home to scores of museums and universities, and that is why Iranian scholars favor it over other cities in the country. Its poets and scholars are world renowned for their works.
Azerbaijan Museum
Azerbaijan Museum is the major archaeological and historical museum in Tabriz, in the northwest part of Iran (East Azerbaijan province). It was established on April 1958. The museum consists of three major halls, a side yard, office rooms and a library. It mostly contains objects discovered from excavations in Iranian Azerbaijan, also some artworks and sculptures of artists. Its library contains more than 2500 books, both handwritten and printed, about history, archaeology, art and Iranian culture. Apart from National Museum of Iran in Tehran, Azerbaijan Museum has the largest collection belonging to different periods of Iran’s history.
The Constitution House of Tabriz, also known as Khaneh Mashrouteh, is a historical edifice located next to the Great Bazaar of Tabriz, on Motahari Ave in Tabriz, Iran. During the years which led to Constitutional Revolution and afterwards the house was used as a gathering place of the leaders, activists and sympathizers of the movement. Among them, the most famous people were Sattar khan, Bagher Khan, Seqat-ol-Eslam Tabrizi and Haji Mirza Aqa Farshi and the founder Haji Mehdi Kuzeh kanaani, himself a revolutionary activist and a well-reputed person of the time; who was named Abolmele, i.e. the father of the nation at the time.. The two-story building was constructed in 1868 by Haj Vali Me’mar-e Tabrizi. It has numerous rooms and halls. The most beautiful part of the house is a skylight and corridor decorated with colorful glass and mirrors.
El Goli is a garden in the east of Tabriz city with an artificial but large lake and a historic mansion in the middle of which its construction dating back to 1785 or perhaps even before the date. It was called the Shah Goli, meaning the shah’s pool, which changed after the Islamic Revolution to the El Goli, meaning Nation’s lake. In the past, this pool has been the largest water supply for eastern parts of Tabriz. It is a large lake with an area of 5.5 hectares, the main source of which is one of the branches of the Ligvan River. The remarkable point in constructing this lake is that during the dredging and restoration it became clear that the floor of the pool was naturally on the floor and did not cover it with any materials. At the time of AqQoyunlu, this place was created and expanded in the Safavid period. Subsequently, during the Qajar period, one of the sons of Abbas Mirza called GhahremanMirza, when he became ruler of Tabrizcity, decided to repair and build this pool and a building in two floors in the middle and made a path for the passage around the mansion, and in various parts of the mountain facing the route, created waterfalls and waterways; in the street around the pool for beauty, cleanliness and refinement of the weather, it has planted with tulips,Tabrizi trees and petunia. But GhahremanMirza died before finishing the decoration, and since his survivors had interpreted his death as a misfortune, the mansion remained abandoned, and the only thing used to irrigate the fields and gardens of the city during the summer until the Pahlavi era. After the Pahlavi government, the municipality turned this place into a public resort, and the governor of Tabriz decided to renovate the Shah Goli. The largest Sundial in the northwestern part of the country is made up in this park, and in the park you will see beautiful statues of sculptural artists created with a beautiful creativity that shocks any viewer. Cafes and restaurants located outside and inside the park and the area around the park are very good for hiking and enjoying clean air.
Blue mosque
The mosque has been built outside the city of Tabriz several times bigger than its current size, including a collection of library, school, bath and mosque on the orders of Abu al-Muzaffar Jahanshah of the QaraQoyunlu dynasty. That is why it is also called Mozaffariyeh. As the other monuments,this building was not protected from natural disasters, and in the earthquake of 1193, it collapsed all its splendor, and for about 150 years later it remained in ruins until it became nationalized in 1310 and the grand architect of Azerbaijan, ostad Rezamemar has restored its masters, and now the Blue Mosque, or the Mozaffairyeh complex is an expression of the combination of Islamic and Iranian art and architecture, and it has been globalized. The special architecture of a mixture of brick and tile, outstanding tilework, design of motifs and other elements has ed the place to a great extent and nobody else has been able to create an example in the whole world, and it has known as the Turquoise of Islam. Especially since turquoise and azure tiles are the darkest type of turquoise and therefore it is called blue mosque. In short, it is a wonderful place to be interested in Iranian art and architecture, especially in the 8th century AH. Because the best architects, tile installer and artists have left a lasting impression that they have written in the description: The time is passing, but such a building will not be seen. The writings on the inscriptions, written by well-known and distinguished calligraphers of Azerbaijan, have written that in the inscription of the mosque, beside the name of the Mozaffariyeh mansion, you can also see the name of Nematullah, the Calligrapher. The mosque has two narrow minarets, two small and large seraglio, the first of which is the royal tomb, where the tomb of Jahanshah and his wife are located inside the mirage (but with empty graves), and the other is the main courtyard of the mosque. Porches, domes, marble stones, mosaic tiles, such as geometric nodes, various inscriptions, is a collection of fantastic beauty of ancient architecture in front of the eyes of any viewer who makes it obligatory to visit.
Tabriz Grand Bazaar
The Bazaar of Tabriz ( Bāzār-e Tabriz ) is a historical market situated in the city center of Tabriz, Iran. It is one of the oldest bazaars in the Middle East and the largest covered bazaar in the world. and is one of Iran’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Here, you will find everything, right from cooking utensils and spices to jewelry and more. Be sure to check out the carpet section as the intricately designed and plush Tabriz carpets and rugs are world famous.
Amir Nezam House
The Amir Nezām House or The Qajar Museum of Tabriz, is a historical building in the Sheshghelan district, one of the oldest quarters of the city of Tabriz, Iran. The base of the edifice covers an area of 1200 square metres. This monument which since 2006 houses a museum dedicated to the Qajar dynasty (1781-1925), was built in the period of the Crown Prince Abbas Mirza (1789-1833). It was renovated by Hasan-Ali Khan, Hasan Ali Khan Garroosy, in his position as the Major-domo of Azarbaijan, and used as his residency. In the subsequent periods, the house was employed as the official residence of the provincial governors of Azarbaijan. Because of persistent neglect over a long period of time, this building had come to be in such a bad state of disrepair that for a time it was seriously considered to demolish it and build a school in its place. Between 1993-2006 it has been subject of an extensive renovation process and since the completion of this undertaking it has been granted the National Heritage status.
Arg of Tabriz
Arg of Tabriz also known as (Arg Alishah, Arg-e Alishah, Arch of Alishah, Arg Citadel, and Masjid Ali-Shāh), is the remnants of a big fortification and city wall in downtown Tabriz. Ark’s structure is visible from far distances in downtown of Tabriz, if not blocked by newly high raised building.
Maqbarat-o-shoara
or the Mausoleum of Poets belongs to poets, mystics and famous people, located in the Surkhab district of Tabriz in Iran. It was built by Tahmaseb Dolatshahi in the mid-1970s while he was the Secretary of Arts and Cultures of East Azarbaijan. On the east side of Sayyed Hamzeh’s grave and Ghaem Magham’s grave, there is a graveyard containing the graves of important poets, mystics, scientists and well-known people of Tabriz. The Mausoleum was first mentioned by the medieval historian Hamdollah Mostowfi in his Nozhat ol-Gholub. Hamdollah mentions it being located in what, at the time, was the Surkhab district of Tabriz.Since the 1970s, there have been attempts to renovate the graveyard area. Some work has been carried out like the construction of a new symbolic building on this site.
Sa’at Tower
also known as Tabriz Municipality Palace is the city hall and main office of the municipal government of Tabriz, East Azarbaijan Province, Iran.