Tabriz City Hall.jpg

Tabriz ( fa, تبریز ; ) is a city in northwestern Iran, serving as the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. It is the sixth-most-populous city in Iran. In the Quru River valley in Iran's historic Azerbaijan region between long ridges of volcanic cones in the Sahand and Eynali mountains, Tabriz's elevation ranges between above sea level. The valley opens up into a plain that gently slopes down to the eastern shores of Lake Urmia, to the west. With cold winters and temperate summers, Tabriz is considered a summer resort. It was named World Carpet Weaving City by the World Crafts Council in October 2015 and Exemplary Tourist City of 2018 by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

With a population of over 1.7 million (2016), Tabriz is the largest economic hub and metropolitan area in northwest Iran. The population is bilingual, speaking Azerbaijani and Persian. Tabriz is a major heavy industries hub for automobiles, machine tools, refineries, petrochemicals, textiles and cement production industries. The city is famous for its handicrafts, including hand-woven rugs and jewellery. Local confectionery, chocolate, dried nuts and traditional Tabrizi food are recognised throughout Iran as some of the best. Tabriz is also an academic hub and a site for some of the most prestigious cultural institutes in Northwest Iran.

Tabriz contains many historical monuments, representing Iran's architectural transition throughout its deep history. Most of Tabriz's preserved historical sites belong to Ilkhanid, Safavid and Qajar. Among these sites is the grand Bazaar of Tabriz, which is designated a World Heritage Site. From the early modern era, Tabriz was pivotal in the development, movement and economy of its three neighboring regions; namely the Caucasus, Eastern Anatolia and Central Iran. In the modern era the city played a vital role in the history of Iran. As the country's closest hub to Europe, many aspects of early modernisation in Iran began in Tabriz. Prior to forced ceding of the Qajar dynasty's Caucasian territories to Imperial Russia, following two Russo-Persian Wars in the first half of the 19th century, Tabriz was at the forefront of Iranian rule over its Caucasian territories. Until 1925, the city was the traditional residence of the Qajar crown princes.

Etymology

According to some sources, including ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', the name ''Tabriz'' derives from ''tap-riz'' ('flowing hot'), from the many thermal springs in the area.

Other sources claim that in AD 246, to avenge his brother's death, king Tiridates II of Armenia repelled Ardashir I of the Sassanid Empire and changed the name of the city from Shahistan to Tauris, deriving from "''ta-vrezh''" ("this revenge" in Grabar). In AD 297, it became the capital of Tiridates III, king of Armenia. However, this story has a popular origin and no ancient source has recorded such event. This is based on accounts of Vardan Areveltsi, a 13th-century Armenian historian. Accordingly, the historical Armenian name for the city was Tavrezh ().

''The Cambridge History of Iran'' points to a connection between the "ancient stronghold of Tarui-Tarmakisa" (or Tarwi-Tarwakisa), which existed in the 8th century BC, and the city of Tabriz, with Ernst Emil Herzfeld's ''Archaeological History of Iran'' also directly equating ''"Tarwakisa"'' with Tabriz; cf Proto-Iranian '' tr̥Hwáns'' (able to overcome). However, some researchers believe that Tabriz may be considered a pre-Iranian toponym.

History

Early history

The early history of Tabriz is not well-documented. The earliest civilization signs in the city belongs to an Iron Age grave yard of 1st millennium B.C. which were unearthed in late 1990s in northern side of Blue Mosque. The city also inscribed as old as 714 B.C. on as Tarui or Tauris, on the Assyrian King Sargon II's epigraph in 714 BC.

Egyptologist David Rohl suggested that the legendary Garden of Eden was near Tabriz. Archaeologist Eric H. Cline commented on Rohl's views, writing that "his suggestions have not caught on with the scholarly establishment. His argument is not helped by the fact that it depends upon speculations regarding the transmission of place-names for both the various rivers and nearby related areas from antiquity to the present. In the end, while Rohl's suggestion is not out of the question, it seems no more probable than any other hypothesis, and less likely than those suggested by Speiser, Zarins, and Sauer."

Since the earliest documented history of Tabriz, it has been chosen as the capital for several rulers commencing from Atropates era and his dynasty. It is likely the city has been destroyed multiple times either by natural disasters or by the invading armies. The earliest elements of the present Tabriz are claimed to be built either at the time of the early Sassanids in the 3rd or 4th century AD, or later in the 7th century. The city used to be called ''T'awrēš'' in Middle Persian.

From the Arab conquest to the Constitutional Revolution

After the Muslim conquest of Iran, the Arabian Azd tribe from Yemen resided in Tabriz. The development of post-Islamic Tabriz began as of this time. The Islamic geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi says that Tabriz was a village before Rawwad from the tribe of Azd arrive at Tabriz. In 791 AD, 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.

In the Ramadan of 1208, Tabriz, as well as its adjacent cities and territories were conquered by the Kingdom of Georgia under Tamar the Great, as a response to the massacre of 12,000 Christians in the Georgian-controlled city of Ani on Easter day by Muslims. In nearby Ardebil, conquered by the Georgians as well, as many as 12,000 Muslims were killed. The Georgians then pushed further, taking Khoy and Qazvin along the way.

After the Mongol invasion, Tabriz came to eclipse Maragheh as the later Ilkhanid Mongol capital of Azerbaijan until it was sacked by Timur in 1392.

Chosen as a capital by Abaqa Khan, fourth ruler of the Ilkhanate, for its favored location in the northwestern grasslands,David Morgan, ''The Mongols'' p. 142 in 1295, his successor Ghazan Khan made it the chief administrative centre of an empire stretching from Anatolia 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 Chioniades is said to have served as the city's Orthodox bishop during this time.

In the 13th century, many western expediters who visited Tabriz on their way to the east were amazed by the richness of the city, its magnificent buildings and its institutions.

Marco Polo travelled the Silk Road, passing Tabriz about 1275, described it as: "a great city surrounded by beautiful and pleasant gardens. It is excellently situated so the goods brought to here coming from many regions. Latin merchants specially Genevis go there to buy the goods that come from foreign lands."

From 1375 to 1468, Tabriz was the capital of Qara Qoyunlu state in Azerbaijan, until defeat of Qara Qoyunlu ruler, Jahan Shah by Ag Qoyunlu warriors. Ag Qoyunlus selected Tabriz as their capital from 1469 to 1501. Some of the existing historical monuments including the Blue Mosque belong to the Qara Qoyunlu period.

In 1501, Ismail I entered Tabriz and proclaimed it the capital of his Safavid state. In 1514, after the Battle of Chaldiran, Tabriz was sacked by Selim I. On 16 July 1534, prior to Ottoman conquest of Baghdad, Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha occupied Tabriz. In 1555, Tahmasp I transferred its capital to Qazvin to avoid the growing threat of the Ottoman army to his capital.

Between 1585 and 1603, Tabriz was under occupation by Ottomans. After it was retaken by the Safavids under Abbas I of Persia, the city grew as a major commerce centre, conducting trade with the Ottoman Empire, Russia, and the Caucasus. Tabriz was occupied and sacked by Ottoman Murad IV in 1635, during the Ottoman–Safavid War (1623–39), before being returned to Persia in the Treaty of Zohab in 1639. The city was completely devastated by a strong earthquake in 1641.

In summer of 1721, a large earthquake shocked Tabriz, killing about eighty thousand of its residents. The devastation continued in 1724–1725, when the city was invaded by an Ottoman army. During this round of invasion, the Ottomans imprisoned many in Tabriz and killed about two hundred thousand residents. The city was subsequently retaken by the Iranian army, after which a widespread famine, combined with the spread of fatal diseases, killed more of those who still remained. In 1780, a major earthquake hit near Tabriz and killed as many as two hundred thousand people, leaving only about thirty thousand survivors.

At the end of the 18th century, the city was divided into several districts, each of which was ruled by a family, until 1799, when the Qajar Prince Abbas Mirza was appointed as the governor of the city. During the Qajar dynasty the city was the residence for the Crown Prince. The crown prince normally served as governor of Azerbaijan province as well. Some of the most important events in this period were the wars between Qajar Iran and neighbouring Imperial Russia. Prior to the forced cession of Iran's Caucasian territories—comprising what is now Georgia, southern Dagestan, Azerbaijan, and Armenia—to Imperial Russia following the two Russo-Persian Wars of the first half of the 19th century, Tabriz, being strategically located, was instrumental to the implementation of Iranian rule in its Caucasian territories. During the last Russo-Persian War, the Russo-Persian War of 1826–1828, the city was captured for Russia in 182 by General Prince Eristov, who marched into the city with 3,000 soldiers.
First Encyclopaedia of Islam: 1913–1936
'' BRILL, 1993 p. 591 After Abbas Mirza and Ivan Paskevich signed the peace treaty, which granted for the irrevocable cession of the last remaining Caucasian territories, the Russian army retreated from the city. Nevertheless, Russian political and military influence remained a major force in Tabriz and north-northwestern Iran even until the fall of the Russian empire in the early 20th century. After the retreat of the Russian army, Abbas Mirza, the Qajar Crown Prince, launched a modernization scheme from Tabriz, during which he introduced Western-style institutions, imported industrial machinery, installed the first regular postal service, and undertook military reforms in the city. He also began a rebuilding campaign and established a modern taxation system.

File:Tabriz by Eugène Flandin.jpg, Saheb-ol-Amr Mosque and Quru river, Eugène Flandin 1841.
File:City Gate , Tabriz by Eugène Flandin.jpg, Sketch of the gate of Tabriz, Eugène Flandin 1841.
File:House Hussein Khan, Tabriz by Eugène Flandin.jpg, A sketch of a 19th-century house in Tabriz, Eugène Flandin.
File:Jules Laurens 16.jpg, Painting of Blue mosque, Jules Laurens, 1872.

Contemporary era

Thanks to the geographical closeness to the West and to communications with nearby countries' enlightenment movements, Tabriz became the centre of the Iranian Constitutional Revolution movements between 1905 and 1911, which led to the establishment of a parliament in Iran and the formation of a constitution. Sattar Khan and Bagher Khan, two Tabrizi reformists who led Tabriz people's solidarity against the absolute monarchy, had a great role in achievement to the goals of Iran's constitutional revolution. In 1909, Tabriz was occupied by the Russian forces. Four months after the constitutional revolution's success, in December 1911, the Russians reinvaded Tabriz. After crushing the local resistance by invading Russian troops, they started suppressing the constitutional revolutionaries and residents of the city. Following the invasion, Russian troops executed about 1,200 of Tabriz residents. As a result of the campaign, Tabriz was occupied by the Russian forces between 1911 and 1917.

File:Tabriz Map 1908.jpg, Siege of Tabriz during Constitutional Revolution, September 27, 1908.
File:Revolutionists defending Davachi bridge, Tabriz (May 1, 1909).jpg, Constitutional revolutionists defending Davachi bridge against monarchists, May 1, 1909.
File:TabrizRevolutionaries.JPG, Constitutionals in Tabriz, 1911.
Arg-Tabriz-USA.jpg, Ark of Tabriz and US flag in the days after constitutional revolution, 1911.

From the very start of World War I, Iran declared neutrality. When the war erupted on a full scale, Tabriz and much of northwestern-northern Iran had already been ''de facto'' occupied by Russia for several years. In later years of World War I, the Ottoman troops intervened and took control of the city by defeating the Russian troops stationed there. By this time, the Ottoman army led by Enver Pasha threatened the whole Russian army in the Caucasus region. Russian troops recaptured the city from the Ottomans at a later stage of the war. By escalation of the revolution in Russia, the Russian armies in Iranian Azerbaijan were evacuated, and the actual power passed into the hands of the local committee of the democrat party, with Ismail Nawbari at its head. Following Russia's retreat, the Ottomans captured the city once again for a few months until the decisive end of the war, and retreated thereafter. After World War I, a new era in the county's history began. Reza Shah, brigadier-general of the Persian Cossack Brigade, declared himself the king of the country following a coup d'état. He started with promises of modernization programs in Iran which was concentrated on the unification of the country, under the idea of ''one country, one nation''. This included centralization of the power and imposing restrictions on the local culture, heritage, and language in Iranian Azerbaijan, and the city of Tabriz. The modernization and nationalization plan of Reza Shah continued until the surge of World War II.

At the final year of the World War II despite the declaration of the neutrality by the Iranian government, the country was occupied by the allied forces. The allied forces then urged Reza Shah to abdicate and installed his son Mohammad Reza as the new king of the country. The postwar situation was further complicated by Soviet aid to set up a local government called Azerbaijan People's Government in Northwest Iran, having Tabriz as its capital. The new Soviet-backed local government was run by Ja'far Pishevari and held power for one year starting from 1946. Pishevari's government gave more freedom to speech and education in Azerbaijani language and promoted local cultural heritage and gained some popularity among the residents. However, after the withdrawal of Soviet forces, Pishevari's limited armed forces were crushed by the Imperial Iranian army and the Iranian government retook control of the city. One of the major establishments in the period of Pishevari's government was opening of the University of Tabriz which played a major role in the later political movements and protests in the region.

Russian flag on top of Ark, 1911.png, Russian Invasion of Tabriz, 1911.
File: Soviet six horse foot artillery team on the streets of Tabriz.jpg, Soviet artillery units passing through Tabriz, World War II.
File: Soviet tankmen of the 6th Armoured Division drive through the streets of Tabriz (2).jpg, Soviet Tank and troops marching through Tabriz, World War II.
File: Soviet tankmen of the 6th Armoured Division drive through the streets of Tebriz.jpg, Soviet T-26 Tank passing through the main street of Tabriz, World War II.

For the next 30 years, after the collapse of Azerbaijan's autonomous government, Tabriz enjoyed a stable era until the revolution in 1979. During this period the city received many of investors in its industries and had transformed into a heavy industries hub in the northwest of Iran. The need for a strong workforce increased immigration from all around Azerbaijan toward Tabriz. During this era and because of the continuous policy of the government centralization in Tehran as well as changes in communication and transportation, the city lost its historical dominance in favour of being the gate for reform and modernization in the country.

Starting with 1978 and with the heat of the Iranian Revolution, revolutionary movements of some of Tabriz residents played a major role in the revolution. After the revolution, the residents of the city were unsatisfied with the outcome, mainly because of the ignorance of the revolutionary government about the rights of the Azerbaijani minority. Another major source of dissatisfaction was the support of most of Iranian Azerbaijanis including Tabriz residents from a more liberal cleric, Grand Ayatollah Shariatmadari, who was against the content of the new constitution which was mixing religion and state together. The unrest in the city calmed down after brutal crush of the protesters in Tabriz and after house arrest of Shariatmadari.

In the 1980s, due to the Iran–Iraq War, like the rest of the country, most of the construction and development projects in the city were stopped in order to fund the war costs. In addition to the indirect effects of the war, city's industrial zone, especially the oil refinery was also a major target for airstrikes by Iraqi's air forces because of the closeness to the Iraqi borderlines, and their strategic roles in the country's economy. With the escalation of the war, the attacks turned to War of the Cities and the air attacks later turned into the random strikes on the residential areas of the city in the later phase of the war.

In recent years, Tabriz is much more stable and the new developments in the city are rapidly changing the face of the city.

Capital of Iran

Tabriz was chosen as the capital by several rulers commencing from the time of Atropates. It was the capital of the Ilkhanate (Mongol) dynasty since 1265. During the Ghazan Khan era, who came into power in 1295, the city reached its highest splendour. The later realm stretched from the Amu Darya in the East to the Egypt borders in the West and from the Caucasus in the North to the Indian Ocean in the South. It was again the capital of Iran during the Qara Qoyunlu dynasty from 1375 to 1468 and then during the Ag Qoyunlu within 1468–1500 and it was capital of Iran in the Safavid period from 1501 until their defeat in 1555.

During the Qajar dynasty, Tabriz was used as residence centre of Iranian Crown Prince (1794–1925).

Excavation sites

In 2002, during a construction project at the north side of the Blue Mosque (Part of Silk Road Project), an ancient graveyard was revealed. This was kept secret until a construction worker alerted the authorities. Radiocarbon analysis by Allameh Tabatabai University has shown the background of the graves to be more than 3,800 years old. A museum of these excavations including the Blue Mosque was opened to the public in 2006.

The other excavation site is in Abbasi Street at the site of Rab'-e Rashidi, which was the location for an academic institution since approximately 700 years ago. It was established in Ilkhanid period.

"Firsts" in Iran

''The City of Firsts'' or city of pioneers is an unofficial motto for Tabriz, a major city and provincial capital in north west of Iran. The motto is given because of the pioneering role of the city in modernization signs in Iran and its leading role in movement toward the formation of modern Iran. Firsts of Tabriz in the Iranian History:

*Printing industry: The first publication house was founded by Prince Abbas Mirza in Tabriz. 12 years later, a second publication was established in Tehran.
*Library: Tarbiat library, Iran's first public library which was founded by Muhammad Ali Tarbiat in 1921.
*Guest house or hotel: Tabriz is the first city in Iran where the new style hotels and motels have been built.
*Cinema: The first public cinema in Iran (1900)
*School: The first school of primary education (New approach) in Iran was founded by Haji-Mirza Hassan Roshdieh in Tabriz (1893).
*Kindergartens and school for the deaf & mute: Jabbar Baghtcheban the first children's book author and publisher and founder of the first school for the Deaf & Mute in Iran.
*New literature: Mirza Abdul'Rahim Talibov Tabrizi, founder of new composition. Additionally, Mirza Fatali Akhundov, founder of the playwright in Iran. Mirza-Agha Tabrizi was the first Iranian playwright who wrote plays to Persian language.
*Banknote: During the ''Ghikhatukhan'' in the Mongol empire, the name of currency was ''Chaw''. However, the people in Tabriz did not accept it and after a while stopped printing it.
* Chamber of Commerce: The first "Chamber of Commerce of Iran" in Tabriz (1906)
*Municipality: The first municipality in Iran, founded in 1908.
* Firefighting: The first firefighting department was established in 1842.
*Telephone: The first city in Iran that was equipped with a telephone system (1901).
*Power plant: Iran's first power plant and factory was established in 1902.
*'' Charity Foundation NGO'' : The first Charity Foundation NGO in Iran was founded in 1952.
*Air taxi: The first air taxi flight was conducted from Tabriz to Aras Free Zone in 2012.
*Colonel Pessian: The first Iranian pilot and aviator.
* Hossein Sadaghiani: The first Iran's football legionnaire (1929) and first coach of Iran's national football team (1941–1951).
* Yahya Adl: The Father of modern surgery in Iran.
*Javad Heyat: One of the vanguards of modern medicine in Iran (1962).
* Ahmad Hussein Adl: Vanguard of mechanization agriculture in Iran (1930).
* Mostafa Adl: Father's Rights and Justice.
*Hamid Notghi: The founding father of modern public relations in Iran
* Azim Gheichisaz: The first Iranian mountain climber to join the 8000ers.
*First Football Museum (2014), Police (1907), Association for Women (1908), Seismographic station (1855), Faculty of Nursing (1916), Faculty of carpet (1994), Association of note issue, Public limited company (1900), Kindergarten (1924), Guesthouse, The formation of popular councils, Credit Card bus, Was established in Tabriz.

Geography

Topography

Tabriz is located in northwest of Iran in East Azerbaijan province between Eynali and Sahand mountains in a fertile area inshore of Aji River and Ghuri River.
The local area is earthquake-prone and during its history, the city has been devastated and rebuilt several times.

Climate

Tabriz has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen: ''BSk'', Trewartha: ''BS'') bordering on a humid continental climate with regular seasons (Köppen: ''Dsa'', Trewartha: ''Dc''). The annual precipitation is around , a good deal of which falls as snow during the winter months and rain in spring and autumn. The city enjoys a mild and fine climate in spring, dry and semi-hot in summer, humid and rainy in autumn and snowy cold in winter. The average annual temperature is . Cool winds blow from east to west mostly in summer.

Environment pollution

Air pollution is one of the major environmental issues in Tabriz. Air pollution is due to an increase of the number of cars commuting in the city and polluting industries such as thermal power plants, petrochemical complexes and the oil refinery in the west of the city. Air pollution levels increased continuously in the second half of the 20th century. With a mandate of national environmental codes by heavy industries, industrial air pollution has reduced in recent years. However, the air quality in the city is far from world norms for clean air.

An immediate environmental threat is the shrinkage and drying out of the Lake Urmia located in the outskirts of Western Tabriz. The lake has faced a grave crisis since the late 20th century. Water depth reduction, increasing water salinity to saturation level and the appearance of vast salt fields around the lake, are alarming indications of gradual total desiccation of a unique ecosystem. This occurred due to global warming and ever-increasing demands for inadequate freshwater sources in the basin. It is feared that in the near future low-lying clouds of airborne salt and minerals may hover over large areas around the lake, posing serious health hazards.

Governance

Authority for the city lies with the Mayor, who is elected by a municipal board. The municipal board is periodically elected by the city's residents. The Municipal central office is located in the Tabriz Municipality Palace.

Historic municipal districts

Tabriz is divided into 12 municipal districts. Each municipal district retains a number of the older neighborhoods that are of cultural and historical interest.

*Ahrab (اهراب)
* Akhmaqaya (آخماقایا)
*Amraqiz (امره قیز)
*Bahar (باهار)
*Baghshoumal (باغ‌ شمال)
*Baron Avak (Barnava) (بارناوا، بارون‌آواک)
*Bazaar (بازار)
*Beylanki (Beylankooh) (بیلانکی)
*Charandab (چرنداب)
*Chousdouzan (چوس‌دوزان)
* Davachi (دوچی)
*Gajil (گجیل)
*Gazran (Re. Khayyam) (گزران)
* Imamieh (امامیه)
*Hokmavar (حکم‌آوار)
*Kouchebagh (کوچه‌ باغ)
*Khatib (Hatib) (خطیب)
*Khayyam (خیام)
*Khiyavan (خیاوان)
* Kujuvar (کوجووار)
*Laklar (لک لر)
*Lalah (لاله)
*Lilava (Leylabad) (لیل‌آباد)
*Maghsoudia (مقصودیه)
* Maralan (مارالان)
* Nobar (نوبار)
* Qaraghaj (قره‌آغاج)
* Qaramalik (قارا‌ ملیک)
*Rastakucha (راستا کوچه)
*Sarlak (سرلک)
*Selab (سیلاب)
* Shanb-e-Ghazan (شنب غازان)
* Sheshghelan (ششگلان)
*Sirkhab (سیرخاب)
*Tapalibagh (تپه لی باغ)
*Vardjibashi (Vidjooya) (ورجی باشی، ویجویه)

Modern municipal districts

This is table of modern Tabriz districts.

*Parvaz ( fa, پرواز)
*Golshahr ( fa, گلشهر)
*Zafaranieh ( fa, زعفرانیه)
*Rajae Shahr ( fa, رجائی شهر)
*Hafez ( fa, حافظ)
*Mandana ()
*Nesfrah ()
*Valieamr ()
*Narmak ()
*Yaghchian ( fa, یاغچیان)
*Marzdaran ( fa, مرزداران)
*Baghmishe ( fa, باغمیشه)
*Elahiyeh ()
*Abrisham ()
*Baharestan ()
*Misagh ()
*Sahand ()
*Ashkan ()
*Jamaran ()
*Abresan ( fa, آبرسان)
*Vali Asr ( fa, ولیعصر)
*Elahi Parast ( fa, الهی پرست)
*Ferdows / ( fa, فردوس)
*North Fereshteh ( fa, فرشته شمالی)
*Roshdieh ( fa, رشدیه)
*Mirdamad ( fa, میرداماد)
*Andishe ()
*Khavaran ()

Demographics

According to an official 2016 census, the population of Tabriz is 1,733,033. The majority of the city's population are Azerbaijani people, followed by Persians, Armenians, Assyrians, and other People of Caucasus.

Language

The predominant language spoken in Tabriz is Azerbaijani language ( Azerbaijani people call it ''Turku'' (''تۆرکۆ'') or ''Turki'' (تۆرکی) language), which is a Turkic language mutually intelligible with modern Turkish dialects. The language has a strong Iranian superstratum since it has been in close contact with the Persian language for many centuries. Similar to the other parts of Iran, the official language is Persian and the most inhabitants have native or near-native knowledge of Persian language, which is the major medium of education.
Nevertheless, the Iranian constitution respects the right to speak and have limited educational facilities in other native languages, including Azerbaijani. For the first time, an academic program on Azerbaijani language opened at the University of Tabriz in 1999. Other than Azerbaijani, there is a notable minority of Armenian speakers and a smaller minority of Assyrian Neo-Aramaic speakers.

It is believed that before the gradual increase and the dominance of Azerbaijani language in the area, other Iranian languages similar to Persian were spoken in Azerbaijan and Tabriz. The 13th-century manuscript Safina-yi Tabriz has poems in what its Tabriz-born author has called the Tabrizi language (''Zabān-e-Tabrizi'') which is similar to Persian.

Religion

After being crowned at Tabriz in 1501, Shah Ismail I announced the Twelver branch of Shia Islam as the official religion of the Safavid Empire. As a result of this royal order, the mostly Sunni population of Tabriz converted to Shiism. Currently, the majority of people are followers of Shia Islam.

The city has a visible Armenian Apostolic minority who follow Christianity. There used to be a small Jewish community, but most of them have moved to Tehran. There is also a small, embattled community of the Baháʼí Faith in the city.

Culture and art

Literature

Sahand, o mountain of pure snow,
Descended from Heaven with Zoroaster
Fire in your heart, snow on your shoulders,
with storm of centuries,
And white hair of history on your chest ...

Yadollah Maftun Amini (born in 1926)

The proximity to Sahand, a mountain in the south of the city, has been a source of inspiration for contemporary revolutionaries and poets alike. The power of this inspiring source, however, goes to much earlier times. Tabriz was a house for numerous Iranian writers, poets, and illumination movements. In old times the city notables supported poets and writers by organizing periodical meetings. Within its long history, it was a residence for many well known Iranian writers and poets. The list can start from the old-time Rumi, Qatran, Khaqani to recent years Samad Behrangi, Gholam-Hossein Sa'edi, Parvin E'tesami. The prominent Iranian Azeri poet Mohammad-Hossein Shahriar was born in Tabriz. The culture, social values, language and music is a mixture of what exists in the rest of Iran.

Tabriz also has a special place in Persian literature, as the following sample of verses from some of Iran's best poets and authors illustrates:

ساربانا بار بگشا ز اشتران

شهر تبريز است و کوی دلبران

Oh Sārbān, have camels' cargo unloaded,

For Tabriz is the neighborhood of the beloved.

―''Molana''

عزیزی در اقصای تبریز بود

که همواره بیدار و شبخیز بود

A beloved lived in Tabriz away from sight,

who was always alert and awake at night

―'' Bustan of Sadi''

تا به تبریزم دو چیزم حاصل است

نیم نان و آب مهران رود و بس

As long as I live in Tabriz, two things I need not worry about,

The half loaf of bread and the water of Mehranrud iverare enough!

―''Khaqani''

اين ارك بلند شهر تبريز است

افراشته قامتِ رسايش را

This is the tall Arg of Tabriz City,

Raised its outstanding height there!

―'' Maftun''

Music

A century-long autocratic nation-building policy of central governments in Iran has succeeded in cultural assimilation in the favour of a government-sanctioned culture. As a result, Tabriz, by the turn of the 20th century had nearly become devoid of its once characteristic cultural identity. Thanks to the more liberal policies of the Khatami era (1998–2006), a cultural renaissance took place and the local music was revitalized.

The traditional Azeri music is divided into two distinct types, the music of " ashugh" and the "mugham". Mugham, despite its similarity to Persian classical music, was not common among Iranian Azeris. In recent years, however, mugham is gaining popularity among the educated middle-class young generation. For instance, Nasir Atapur, from Tabriz, was the laureate of Mugam contest 2007.

The ashugh music had survived in a mountainous region of Qaradağ and presently is identified as the characteristic form of music in all Azerbaijan. The ashugh music, throughout its long history, had been associated with nomadic life in mountainous regions and used to be dismissed as back-country folklore. The recent identity renaissance of Azeri speaking people has elevated the status of Ashughs as the guardians of national culture. The newfound unprecedented popularity and frequent concerts and performances in urban settings have resulted in rapid innovative developments aiming to enhance the urban-appealing aspects of these ashugh performances. The main factor for these developments was the opening of academic style music classes in Tabriz by master Ashugs, such as Aşiq Imran Heydəri.

Ashugs (Aşiq in Azeri language stemmed from the Arabic word for lover) were travelling bards who sang and played saz, an eight or ten string plucking instrument in the form of a long-necked lute. Their roots can be traced back to at least the 7th century according to the Turkic epic Dede Korkut. Naturally, the music has evolved in the course of the grand migration and ensuing feuds with the original inhabitants the acquired lands. Still, the essence of the original epics, i.e. metamorphic description of life in pastoral terms with direct reference to the mountainous landscape, persists to the present time. The characteristic aspect of the Ashugh music is its frequent allusions to a mountain with the intention of arousing an emotional state with a tone of mild melancholy in a listener. The first verses of a contemporary Ashug song, composed by Məhəmməd Araz, may well represent the essence of Ashugh music may clarify the said statement.

''Bəlkə bu yerlərə birdə gəlmədim'' (I may not come to these mountains again)

''duman səlamət qal dağ səlamət qal'' (Farewell to the Mist and to the mountain)

''arxamca su səpir göydə bulutlar'' (Clouds sprinkle drops of rain)

''leysan səlamət qal yağ səlamət qal'' (Farewell to summer days, farewell to the rain)

Painting

"Tabrizian style" painting was shaped in the era of Ilkhanids, Kara Koyunlu and the Safavids. The paintings date back to the early 14th century and show significant influence from Chinese and Chinese-influenced pictures. Over the years Tabriz became the centre of the famous school of Persian miniature painting. A fascinating fictional account of "Tabrizian style" painting in the Safavids era is narrated by Orhan Pamuk in ''My Name Is Red''.

Cuisine

Famous dishes in Tabriz include:

'' Aash'' is a kind of soup prepared with bouillon, various vegetables, carrots, noodles and spices.

''Abgoosht'' or ''Shorva'' ( آب‌گوشت) is a hearty soup made of mutton and chickpeas. It has been cooked in Iran for many years and, until recently, was the main dish of most families in Tabriz.

'' Chelow kabab'', kebab and roasted tomatoes (and roasted hot peppers occasionally) served on a plate of steamed rice'','' is the national dish of Iran. Tabriz is famous for the quality of its ''chelow kabab''.

'' Dolma'' is a traditional Azerbaijani food, prepared by filling an eggplant, capsicum, tomato or zucchini with a mixture of meat, split pea, onion and various spices.

'' Garniyarikh'' (meaning "the torn abdomen" in Azeri) is a kind of dolma filled with meat, garlic, almonds and spices.

'' Tabriz meatballs'' are large meatballs composed of ground meat, rice, and leeks, alongside various other ingredients. The word ''kofta'' is derived from Persian ''kūfta'': in Persian, ''kuftan'' (کوفتن) means "to beat" or "to grind".

Koofteh Tabrizi and Bonab Kababi.jpg, A table of some of Tabriz traditional foods (köfte and syrup with sangak and Bonab Kababi with rice)
Kufteh1.png, Tabriz meatballs
Abgusht.png, Abgoosht
Dolma, Tabriz.jpg, Dolma
Cutlet TBZ.png, Cutlet
Qurutli ash.png, Qurutli Aash, a thick soup made of qurut

There are also confections, biscuits and cookies which are Tabriz specialties, including Qurabiya, Tabrizi Lovuez, Riss, Nougat, Tasbihi, Latifeh, Ahari, Lovadieh, and Lokum.

Qourabieh.png, Qurabiya
Lovuez.png, Tabrizi Lovuez
Nooka.png, Nouga (Nougat)
Riss TBZ.png, Riss
Konjod.png, Konjod Halvasi, a laminal sesame cookie.
Baglava, Tabriz, Iran.jpg, Tabriz's Baklava
Dried fried nuts.png, Dried, Fried, and Salted Nuts

Main sights

Tabriz was devastated by several earthquakes during its history (e.g., in 858, 1041, and 1721) and as a result, from numerous monuments only few of them or part of them have survived until now. Moreover, some of the historical monuments have been destroyed fully or partially within construction projects (the Arg of Tabriz is in danger of destruction now, because of the ongoing nearby construction project of Mosal'laye Emam). Nonetheless, there are still numerous monuments remaining until now, which include:

*Aji Chay Bridge
*Amir Nezam House (Qajar museum)
*Arg of Tabriz
* Azerbaijan Museum
* Baghmasha gate
*Bazaar of Tabriz, a world heritage site
*Behnam House (school of architecture)
* Blue Mosque (Goy Masjid)
* Boulourchian house
*Constitutional Revolution House of Tabriz (Mashrouteh museum)
* Daneshsara (faculty of education)
* Document Museum
* East-Azerbaijan State Palace
*Ferdowsi street
* Ghadaki house
* Qari Bridge
* Haidarzadeh house
* Hariree house
*House of Seghat ol Islam
*Imamzadeh Hamzah, Tabriz
*Imamzadeh Ibrahim
* Iranian municipalities
* Iron Age museum
* Jamee mosque of Tabriz
* Madrasah Akbarieh
*Maqbaratoshoara (tomb of poets)
*Mansoor bridge
* Measure museum
*Muharram museum
*Municipality of Tabriz
* Museum of Ostad Bohtouni
*Nobar bath
* On ibn Ali's shrine
* Ordobadi house
*Pahlavi street (Imam St.)
* Pol Sanghi (Stone bridge)
* Post museum
* Pottery museum
* Protestant church of Tabriz
* Qur'an museum
* Roshdieh school
* Rug museum
*Ruins of Rabe Rashidi University
* Saheb ol Amr mosque
*Saint Mary Church of Tabriz (Armenian church)
* Salmasi house Measure museum
* Seventh-day Adventist Church, Armenian
* Seyed Hamzeh shrine
* Shahnaz street
* Sharbatoglu house
* Shahryar literature museum (house of Shahryar)
* Shohada Mosque
* Sorkheh-i house
* Tabriz Art University (former Charmsazi Khosravi)
* Tabriz Fire Fighting Tower
* Tabriz Museum of Natural History
*Tabriz Railway Station
*Tarbiyat street
* Two Kamals tomb

File:Saat 4.jpg, Saat Tower
File:Carpet Bazaar of Tabriz.JPG, The Grand Bazaar
File:Eternal Love.jpg, Iron Age museum
File:Amir Nezam House 1.jpg, Amir Nezam House (Qajar museum)
File:House-of-Constitutional-Revolution.jpg, Constitution House of Tabriz
File:Musée mesures tabriz.jpg, Measure museum of Tabriz
File:Behnam's House, Sahand University of Technology, Tabriz, Azerbaijan, Iran, 08-19-2006.jpg, Behnam House
File:Ghari Bridge.JPG, Qari Bridge
File:TabrizAzerbaijanMuseum 2.JPG, Azerbaijan Museum
File:Blue Mosque, Tabriz, Iran.jpg, Blue Mosque
File:Shah-Goli.Tabriz.jpg, Shah-goli park
File:The Virgin Mary (Gerigury) church.jpg, Saint Mary Church of Tabriz
File:Chay kenar - Tabriz.jpg, Chay kenar (river side) at night
File:Masjed+imamzadeh tabriz.jpg, Seyed Hamzeh shrine and mosque
File:Tabriz.masque.111.jpg, a mosque in Tabriz

Parks and gardens

Tabriz has 132 parks, including 97 small parks, 31 regional and 4 city parks. According to 2005 statistics, the area of parks in Tabriz is 2,595 km², and the area of green spaces of Tabriz is 8,548 km², which is 5.6 sq.m per person. A study published in 2018 found that "Most of the urban green spaces are located on the urban fringes and in low-density higher income residential areas." It also found that "Greenspace per capita provision in Tabriz is much lower than the national and international standards (some districts offer only 0–1 sq.m. per capita green space)..." The oldest park in Tabriz, Golestan Baği, was established at first Pahlavi's era in the city center. Tabriz also has 8 traveller-parks with the capacity of 10.000 travellers.

*Baghlar Baghi
*Khaqani Park
* Ghaem Magham
*Golestan Park
* Mashrouteh Park
*Saeb Tabrizi Garden
* Shah Goli Park
*Shams Tabrizi Garden
* Eynali state forest park.
*Baghmesha Park.

File:Shah Goli and Pars hotel.JPG, Shah Goli Park
File:Eynali picknick.jpg, Eynali artificial forest in the north of the Tabriz
File:Week-end ritual.jpg, A week-end ritual at Eynali peak

Economy

Tabriz is the largest economic center in Northwest Iran. The economy of Tabriz is based on commerce, services, health care and pharmaceutical, small and heavy industries, and handcrafts. Tabriz is the main site for four of Iran's Fortune 100 companies including: ITMCO

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