Tabriz

Tabriz (Azari: Təbriz, Farsi: تبریز) is the capital of East Azarbaijan Province, and the largest city in north-western Iran. Tabriz is situated north of the volcanic cone of Sahand (Səhənd) south of the Eynali mountain. The city has a population of 1,800,000. Most of the population is ethnical Azeri. There are small minorities of Persians, Armenians, Kurd and Assyrians.

According to some sources, the name Tabriz is said to derive from "tap-riz" meaning "causing heat to flow" in Iranian languages, from the many thermal springs in the area. Earliest mentioning of Tabriz appears in Assyrian king Sargon II's epigraph in 714 BC. In 4th century BC, Tabriz became the capital of a satrapy Atropatene, named after Atropates, satrap of the Achaemenid province of Media. Later references date back as early as the Sassanian period.

After the Mongol invasion, Tabriz came to eclipse Maragheh as the later Ilkhanid capital of Azerbaijan until sacked by Tamerlane in 1392. In addition, from 1375 to 1468, Tabriz was the capital of Qara Koyunlu state in Azerbaijan, and from 1469 to 1501 the capital of Aq Qoyunlu state. In 1501, Shah Ismail I , founder of Safavid dynasty, entered Tabriz and proclaimed it his capital. But after Shah Ismail's defeat from Sultan Selim I (of Ottoman Empire) in the Battle of Chaldiran, Tabriz fell for few months to Ottomans; and although it was returned to Safavids later, very soon Shah Tahmasp I moved capital to Qazvin out of fear of Ottamans. Still, by the 17th century Tabriz had become a major commercial center, carrying out trade with Ottoman Empire, Russia, central Asia, and India.

Tabriz was also the city where the Constitutional Revolution of Iran started in 1906 and where its leaders, Sattar Khan and Bagher Khan came from. Also Ahmad Kasravi, the famous Iranian historian and philosopher, was born in a nearby village called Hokmavar. The predominant language in the city is Azari; It is one of the branches of Western (oghuz)Turkish languages; still almost all inhabitants of the city can speak and understand Persian as well.

Tabriz is the number one center for production of the famous Turkish-Persian Rug. Nowaday Tabrizian carpets are the most wanted in world markets, having many customers in western countries from Europe to California. Tabrizian rugs and carpets usually have ivory backgrounds with blue, rose, and indigo motifs. Rugs and carpets often have very symmetrical and balanced designs. They usually have a single medallion that is surrounded with vines and palmettos and are of excellent quality. Tabrizian modern rugs are in many different designs and colors.