Welcome to Tabriz!
Tabriz (Persian: تبریز, Azerbaijani: Təbriz) is the capital of East Azerbaijan province, in the Azerbaijan region of Iran. It is a modern industrialized Iranian city with signs of civilization dating back 2,500 years. Having some of the most famous museums, major cultural events, and prestigious Iranian universities, the city is considered a major hub for science and culture in Iran. Tabriz was named by the Organization of Islamic Conference as the "city of the Islamic world tourism" for 2018.
Tabriz (Persian: تبریز Azerbaijani: تبریز) is a city in northwestern Iran, serving as the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. It is the fifth-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 1,350 and 1,600 meters (4,430 and 5,250 ft) above sea level. The valley opens up into a plain that gently slopes down to the eastern shores of Lake Urmia, 60 kilometers (37 miles) 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 overwhelmingly Azerbaijani who speak the Azerbaijani language, though Persian is spoken by residents as a second language. Tabriz is a major heavy industry 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. 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 modernization in Iran began in Tabriz. Prior to the 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.