Tabriz

Tabriz ( , ) is a city in the Central District of Tabriz County, in East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran. It serves as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is the sixth-most-populous city in Iran. The city of Tabriz lies close to the borders of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, 130 kilometers from the Armenia-Iran and Azerbaijan-Iran border. Tabriz is 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. The city 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 with most people speaking Iranian Azerbaijani as their native language and Persian as their second language. 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 jewelry.…

Tabriz ( , ) is a city in the Central District of Tabriz County, in East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran. It serves as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is the sixth-most-populous city in Iran. The city of Tabriz lies close to the borders of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, 130 kilometers from the Armenia-Iran and Azerbaijan-Iran border. Tabriz is 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. The city 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 with most people speaking Iranian Azerbaijani as their native language and Persian as their second language. 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 jewelry. Local confectionery, chocolate, dried nuts and traditional Tabrizi food are recognized throughout Iran as some of the best. Some of the most esteemed cultural institutions in northwest Iran are located in Tabriz, which is also a center for intellectual activity. Tabriz contains many historical monuments. 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 of three neighboring regions - the Caucasus, Eastern Anatolia and Central Iran. As the country's closest hub to Europe, many aspects of early modernization in Iran began in Tabriz. The Qajar dynasty was forced to cede the Caucasian territories to Imperial Russia following the two Russo-Persian Wars in the first half of the 19th century. Until 1925, the city was the traditional residence of the Qajar crown princes. ===Early history=== The early history of Tabriz is not well documented. The earliest evidence is an Iron Age grave yard of 1st millennium B.C. unearthed in late 1990s on the 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 B.C. 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." Tabriz was chosen as the capital for several rulers commencing from Atropates era and his dynasty. The city was destroyed multiple times by natural disasters and 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. ===Early modern 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. . Şehname-i Nadiri (Nadiri's book of kings) (1620s) Between 1585 and 1603, Tabriz was under occupation by Ottomans, as a consequence of the Ottoman–Safavid War (1578–1590). After it was retaken by the Safavids under Abbas the Great, 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 Iran in the Treaty of Zohab in 1639. The city was completely devastated by a strong earthquake in 1641. The Capuchins founded a small house in the city around 1656¹. 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 addition, another earthquake is disputed to have occurred in 1727 further adding to the region's instability at the time. 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 ruled by a family, until 1799, when the Qajar Prince Abbas Mirza was appointed as the governor of the city. During the Qajar Empire 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 (1826–1828), the city was captured for Russia in 1828 by General Prince Eristov, who marched into the city with 3,000 soldiers. 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 - The Blue Mosquee in Tabriz, Persia.jpg|Painting of Blue mosque, Jules Laurens, 1872. 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 Pahlavi, 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 Pahlavi 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. , Municipality Museum and former municipality office 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 significant investment in its industries and transformed into a heavy-industry hub in the northwestern 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, but turned into the gate for reform and modernization of 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 dynasties, empires, and kingdoms before modern day=== 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). ==Demographics== ===Population=== The Iranian national census was first completed in 1956 and published decennially until 2006¹, when, thereafter, the Statistical Center of Iran began to conduct them every five years. The 1976 census notes a total population more than double of the decade before, a result of rural to urban migration during the White Revolution. At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 1,378,931 in 378,329 households. The following census in 2011 counted 1,495,452 people in 455,494 households. The 2016 census measured the population of the city as 1,558,693 people¹ in 497,898 households. The majority of the city's population are Azerbaijani people, followed by Persians, Kurds, Armenians, Assyrians, and other People of Caucasus. ساربانا بار بگشا ز اشتران شهر تبريز است و کوی دلبران Oh Sārbān, have the camels' cargo unloaded, This is Tabriz, the neighborhood of the beloved ones. ―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 [river] are 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 ==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) 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 Iron Age museum Jamee mosque of Tabriz Madrasah Akbarieh Maqbaratoshoara (tomb of poets) Measure 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) Pottery museum Protestant church of Tabriz Roshdieh school 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 Shahryar literature museum (house of Shahryar) Shohada Mosque Tabriz Art University (former Charmsazi Khosravi) Tabriz Fire Fighting Tower Tabriz Museum of Natural History Tabriz Railway Station Tabriz Vocational Museum 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 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 File:TCarpet2.jpg|A sample of Tabriz rugs File:Iranian Astrolab.jpg|A newly made bronze astrolabe, as a sample of Ghalamzani in Tabriz File:Tabriz Graver 001.jpg|An engraver in Tabriz ==Schools and libraries== ===Universities=== Tabriz is the site for 14 of Iran's most prominent universities and higher education institutes. Established in 1947¹, University of Tabriz is the most prestigious university in north-western Iran. University of Tabriz is also considered one of five mother universities in the country which works as the regional hub of science for the region. Besides University of Tabriz, there are several other public universities, operating in the city and its suburbs. Among them the famous ones are: as seen from the Applied Physics Faculty Tabriz University of Medical Sciences which branched off the University of Tabriz in 1982¹ has focus on various medical and paramedical fields. There are several other big universities within Tabriz and its surrounding counties, some of which are listed below: Islamic Azad University, Tabriz Branch established in 1982 and have a main campus in east of Tabriz and smaller campuses around the city. Sahand University of Technology is established in 1989¹ and have majored in different fields of Engineering and Technology related sciences. Azarbaijan University of Tarbiat Moallem is established in 1987¹. Azerbaijan University is a general university. Its main campus is located based in Azarshahr county. Tabriz Islamic Arts University is a public university established in 1997¹. the Payam-e Noor University of Tabriz, is part of Payame Noor University network of the remote educational university. There are several private universities and colleges which are also offering higher education. Daneshvaran Higher Education Institute, Seraj Higher Education Institute, University College of Nabi Akram, Khajeh Rashid University. There are few technical colleges, which serve the students as well: Elmi-Karbordi University of Tabriz, Tabriz College of Technology, Roshdiyeh Higher Education Institute of Tabriz, Jahad Daneshgahi (ACECR) Higher Education Institute (East Azerbaijan Branch), Alzahra College of Technology, State Organization of Technical and Vocational Training. There are a couple of research centers supported by Iranian government in the city including: East Azerbaijan Park of Science & Technology, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tabriz. Furthermore, few other of Iranian universities have branches in Tabriz, including: Imam Hossein University, Shahid Beheshti Training Teacher Center of Tabriz. ===Religious schools=== Valiasr Religious School and Talebieh Islamic Science School are two major religious schools in the city which are used for teaching Islamic literature. ===Football=== Football is a major part of the city's culture. Tractor SC is one of the most popular football clubs in Iran and Asia. Tractor play in the Iran Pro League. The home stadium for Tractor is the city's major stadium, Sahand Stadium which has the capacity of 80,000 people. In June 1976 Bagh Shomal Stadium of Tabriz hosted part of the final tournament of the AFC Asian Cup games. ===Futsal=== The city's main futsal club is Mes Sungun which was founded in 2010¹ and plays at the Shahid Poursharifi Arena in the city. The club won most of the Iranian Futsal Super League and won AFC Futsal Championship in 2018. ===Cycling=== Tabriz is also home for Azerbaijan Cycling Tour which is held on a yearly based calendar since 1986. This cycling tour is the most prestigious cycling tour in Iran. Tabriz is also home for Tabriz Petrochemical Cycling Team, a cycling team which is competing in UCI-sanctioned competitions through Asian continents. ===Ski=== Sahand and Yam ski resorts are located in an hour drive from Tabriz. Depending on the precipitation, both resorts start operation from late December till early March. == Notable people== For a complete list see: :Category:People from Tabriz and List of people from Tabriz File:Khoy - Shams Tabrizi's tomb 8 - Information in page 1 - panoramio.jpg|Shams Tabrizi, poet File:Naser al din(5).jpg|King Naser al-Din Shah Qajar File:Iraj mirza picture.jpg|Iraj Mirza, poet File:Sattar khan.jpg|Sattar Khan, a pivotal figure in the Iranian Constitutional Revolution File:Bagherkhan.jpg|Bagher Khan, a pivotal figure in the Iranian Constitutional Revolution File:Shahbanu of Iran.jpg|Farah Pahlavi, is the widow of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and was the Shahbanu (empress) of Iran File:Studio Portrait of Colonel Mohammad-Taqi Pessian (cropped).jpg|Mohammad Taqi Pessian, gendarme and pilot File:Ahmad Kasravi portrait.jpg|Ahmad Kasravi, linguist, nationalist, religious reformer, historian and cleric File:Farhad Fakhreddini 02 (cropped).jpg|Farhad Fakhreddini composer, conductor and founder of Iran's National Orchestra File:Shahriar.jpg|Mohammad-Hossein Shahriar, poet File:Gholam-Hossein Saedi.jpg|Gholam-Hossein Sa'edi, writer File:Samad Behrangi.JPG|Samad Behrangi, teacher, social critic, folklorist, translator, and writer File:Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i - 1940s.jpg|Muhammad Husayn Tabatabai, Allamah File:Tahmineh Milani.jpg|Tahmineh Milani, film director and producer File:Azim Gheichisaz (portrait).jpg|Azim Gheychisaz, mountain climber and summiteer of all 14 Eight-thousanders File:Parvin etesami.jpg|Parvin Etesami, 20th-century Persian poet of Iran File:Dariush Shayegan 1.jpg|Dariush Shayegan, philosopher and former university professor File:Tehran derby by Mojnews 2.jpg|Karim Bagheri, professional football player and coach File:Major General Fakori 2.JPG|Javad Fakoori, prominent military official and defence minister File:Anna Kaplan 2018.jpg|Anna Kaplan (née Monahemi), Iranian-American member of the New York State Senate (2019–22), attorney ==Twin towns – sister cities== Tabriz is twinned with: Baku, Azerbaijan (1980) Erzurum, Turkey (2011) Ganja, Azerbaijan (2015) Gaza City, Palestine (2013) Istanbul, Turkey (2010) Karbala, Iraq (2016) Kazan, Russia (2004) Khujand, Tajikistan (2011) Mogilev, Belarus (2012) Shanghai, China (2019) ==Further reading== 490 ==Bibliography==

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