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Iran's Cities > Tabriz |
 Tabriz
has had spell as the Persian capital, and was until
quite recently the second city of Iran.
History:
Although the early history of: Tabriz is shrouded in
legend and mystery, the town's origins are believed to
date back to distant antiquity, perhaps even before the
Sassanian period (224-637).
Tabriz was the capital of Azerbaijan in the 3rd century
AD and again under the Mongol dynasty (1220-1380),
though for some time Maragheh supplanted it. In 1392,
after the end of the Mongol rule, the town was sacked by
Teimur. It was soon restored under the Turkmen tribe of
the Ghara Ghoyunlu, who established a short-lived local
dynasty. Under the Safavids (1502-1722) it rose from
regional to national capital for a short period, but the
second of the Safavid kings. Shah Tahmasb, moved the
capital to Qazvin because of the vulnerability of Tabriz
to Ottoman attacks. The town then went into a period of
decline, and was fought over by Persians, Ottomans and
Russian and strike by earthquake and disease.
 Museum
Of Azerbaijan
This museum contains a mildly interesting ethnological
display, including much about the Azeri's archaeological
items taken from regional excavations, such as Hasanlu
and some boring stuff about modem Iranian history.
Churches
From the earliest days of Christianity there has been a
sizeable Armenian community in Tabriz, and the city
boasts a number of churches, including one mentioned by
Marco Polo on his travels. Probably the most interesting
is the old but substantially rebuilt Kelisa-ye Maryam-e
Moghaddas (Church of Saint Mary) near the bazaar. Three
other churches, such is the Kelisa-ye Sarkis-e Moghadas
(Cathedral) are close to each other, these southern part
of town.
 Tabriz
was the residence of tite crowil prince during the early
Gliajur dynasty (1779-1921),but the town did not return
to Prosperity until the second half of the 19th century.
In 1908, it was the centre of a revolt against Mohammad
Ali Sbab, which was only put down with the brutal
intervention of the Russians. The city was occupied by
Russians several times in the first half of this
century, including most of both world wars.
Their main legacy was the train line to the Azerbaijani
border (not currently used as a passenger service).
Citadel of Tabriz
This huge and crumbling brick citadel was built in the
early 14th century, on the site of a massive mosque
which collapsed more than 500 years ago. In earlier
times criminals were hurled from the peak of the citadel
into a ditch below, but, according to local legend, one
woman was saved from death by the parachute-like effect
of her chador. While this remarkable building serves as
an ideal landmark, it is permanently fenced off while
restoration continues. |
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