Tabriz

Tabriz, fourth largest city of Iran and capital of the East Azerbaijan province. Situated along the frontier of historical Azerbaijan and Persia and at a central hub of the ancient Silk Road, ethnic Azerbaijanis make up the majority of the population, but the city has also held a momentous position in the development of Persian literature and played a pivotal role in Iranian history as the first capital of the Safavid empire (1501–1736).

Tabriz lies about 4,485 feet (1,367 meters) above sea level in the extreme northwestern part of the country. The climate is continental: hot and dry in summer and severely cold in winter. The city lies in a valley surrounded by hills on three sides. It is in an earthquake zone that is liable to frequent and severe shocks.

History

Also called Gazaca, Tabriz was the capital of Atropatene, named for Atropates, one of Alexander the Great’s generals. After being destroyed by an earthquake, the city was rebuilt in 791 ce under the patronage of Zubaydah, the wife of the Abbasid ruler Hārūn al-Rashīd. Similar disasters followed in 858, 1041, 1721, 1780, and 1927. Nonetheless it became a significant hub along the Silk Road and was described by Marco Polo in his travels. Tabriz was made the capital of the Mongol Il-Khan Maḥmūd Ghāzān (1295–1304) and his successor. In 1392 it was taken by Timur (Tamerlane), a Turkic conqueror, and some decades later the Kara Koyunlu Turkmen made Tabriz their capital. Under their rule the city’s Blue Mosque was built. Tabriz retained its administrative status under the Safavid dynasty until 1548, when Shah Ṭahmāsp I moved his capital westward to Qazvin.

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During the next 200 years Tabriz changed hands several times between Iran and the Ottoman Empire. The Russians occupied it in 1826, and the Bāb, the founder of the Bābī religion, an Islamic sect and forerunner of the Bahāʾī faith, was executed here, together with thousands of his followers, in the 1850s. In 1908 Tabriz became the center of the Nationalist movement. During World War I, Ottoman and then Soviet troops temporarily occupied Tabriz. The city was again occupied in World War II, this time by Allied troops protecting military supply routes running through Iran and into the Soviet Union. Though all parties had agreed to withdraw after the war, the Soviet Union increased its presence and helped a separatist movement establish an autonomous region in Azerbaijan, with Tabriz as its capital. Iran and the Soviet Union reached an agreement in March 1946 that called for the withdrawal of Soviet troops in exchange for the creation of a joint-stock oil company. The city continued to play an important part in Iranian politics into the 21st century.

Notable sites

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Tabriz has several notable ancient buildings and the Tabriz Historic Bazaar Complex, a structural remnant of Silk Road commerce, was inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage site in 2010. The Blue Mosque, or Masjed-e Kabūd (1465–66), has long been renowned for the splendor of its blue tile decoration. The citadel, or Ark, which was built before 1322 on the site of a collapsed mosque, is remarkable for its simplicity, its size, and the excellent condition of its brickwork. Also noteworthy are the remains of the 12-sided tomb of Maḥmūd Ghāzān, ruler of the Mongol dynasty in Iran. The Mausoleum of Poets was erected in the 1970s over a cemetery where a number of Persian poets, including Asadī, Anvarī, and Khaqānī, are buried.

Economy and industry

The modernization of Tabriz quickened after World War II, with streets widened, buildings erected, and public gardens laid out with fountains and pools. The city’s 20th-century buildings include a railway station and Tabriz University (1946). Just outside the city is a summer resort. Tabriz is commercially important, and the principal products include carpets, textiles, cement, agricultural machinery, motorcycles, and household appliances. The city is linked by rail with Tehran and with areas to the north, and it has an airport. Pop. (2011) 1,494,998; (2016) 1,558,693.