Tabriz

Tabriz

 A fascinating bazaar, a deeply human heart and  passionately helpful freelance guides make this gigantic, sprawling city a surprisingly positive introduction to Iran. It had a spell as the Iranian capital and has proven extremely infl uential in the country’s recent history. Sometimes stifl ingly smoggy and hot in summer, it can be freezing cold in winter, but the Azari welcome is generally very warm any time of year. Don’t miss an excursion to Kandovan, Iran’s ‘Cappadocia’

History:

 Biblical clues  point to the Ajichay River fl owing out of the Garden of Eden, which places Tabriz at the gates of paradise! More historically verifi able, Tabriz was a Sassanianperiod trade hub and came to eclipse Maraqeh as a later Mongol Ilkhanid capital of Azerbaijan. It recovered remarkably rapidly from  Tamerlane’s 1392 ravages and, while the rest of Iran was vassal to the Timurids, Tabriz became the capital of a local Turkmen Qareh Koyunlu (Black Sheep) dynasty. That dynasty’s greatest monarch was Jahan Shah (no, not the Taj Mahal’s Shah Jahan), under whose rule (1439–67) the city saw a remarkable fl owering of arts and architecture culminating in the fabulous Blue Mosque. Shah Ismail, the fi rst Safavid ruler, briefl y made Tabriz Persia’s national capital. However, after the battle of Chaldoran against the advancing Ottomans, Tabriz suddenly seemed far too vulnerable to Ottoman attack, so Ismail’s successor, T ahmasp (1524– 75), moved his capital to safer Qazvin. Fought over by Persians, Ottomans and (later) Russians, Tabriz went into a lengthy decline exacerbated by disease and one of the world’s worst-ever  earthquakes that killed 77,000 Tabrizis in November 1727. The city recovered its prosperity during the 19th century. Shahgoli (now Elgoli) on Tabriz’ southeast outskirts became the residence of the Qajar crown prince, but heavyhanded Qajar attempts to Persianise the Azari region caused resentment. The 1906 constitutional revolution briefl y allowed Azari Turkish speakers to regain their linguistic rights (schools, newspapers etc) and Tabriz held out valiantly in 1908 when the liberal constitution was promptly revoked again. For its pains it was brutally besieged by Russian troops.

Russians popped up again during both world wars and built a railway line to Jolfa (then the Soviet border) before withdrawing in 1945. This left Tabriz as capital of Pishaveri’s short-lived Provincial Government (autonomous south Azerbaijan) which tried to barter threats of secession for better Azari rights within Iran. The Provincial Government was crushed in December 1946 and far from encouraging the Azaris, the shah did the opposite, restricting the use of their mother tongue. Reaction against this discrimination put Tabriz in the forefront of the 1979 revolution well before the antishah struggle was railroaded by more fundamentalist Muslim clerics.

* Sights:

bazzar

The magnifi cent, labyrinthine covered bazaar    covers some 7 sq km with 24 separate caravanserais and 22 impressive timchehs (domed halls). Construction began over a millennium ago, though much of the fi ne brick vaulting is 15th century. Upon entering one feels like a launched pinball, bouncing around through an extraordinary colourful maze, only emerging when chance or carelessness dictates. It is a Unesco World Heritage Site. There are several carpet sections, according to knot-size and type. The spice bazaar has a few shops still selling herbal remedies and natural perfumes. A couple of hat shops (Bazaar Kolahdozan) sell traditional papakh (Azari hats, from US$12) made of tight-curled astrakhan wool. The better the quality, the younger the lamb sacrifi ced to the milliner’s art. Other quarters specialise in gold, shoes and general household goods.

For such a huge construction, the bazaar is surprisingly easy to miss. A useful entrance is the second narrow passage east of the tourist information offi  ce. This takes you into the jewellery section.

AROUND THE BAZAAR

 At the bazaar’s western end an exit passage hidden by a curtain leads to Tabriz’s Masjed-e Jameh ( Jameh Mosque) with a magnifi cent brick-vaulted interior. Beyond, an alley between two multistage new minarets emerges at Motahhari St opposite the heavy wooden door (no English sign) of the 1868 Constitution House (Mashrutiyat Museum; %521 6454; Motahhari St; admission US$0.50; h8am-5pm Sat-Thu, 9am-1pm Fri). This charming Qajar-era courtyard house is historically signifi cant as a headquarters during the 1906–11 constitutional revolution, but although many labels are in English the numerous photos and documents are unlikely to excite nonspecialist tourists. At the bazaar’s northeast corner, the wellproportioned former Saheb Ul-Amr Mosque now houses a  Quran Museum (%527 2733; Madani St; admission US$1; h8am-6.30pm SatThu, 8am-1pm Fri). Its most intriguing exhibit is the scripture-covered under-shirt worn by Qajar monarchs during coronations. Tabriz has had a Christian community almost as long as there’ve been Christians.  St Mary’s (Kalisa-ye Maryam-e Moqaddas) is a 12th-century church mentioned by  Marco Polo and was once the seat of the regional archbishop.

 AZARIS, AZERIS, AZERBAIJAN & AZӘRBAYCAN 

 lthough there’s an independent republic of Azerbaijan (Azərbaycan), the majority of Azerbaijanis actually live in Iran, where they make up at least 25% of the population. Iranian Azerbaijanis (called Azaris) live mostly in the northwest where two provinces use the name Azarbayjan. Commonly called ‘Turks’ because of their Turkic dialect, A zaris are Shiite unlike the (predominantly Sunni) Turks of neighbouring Turkey. D espite spoil-sport attempts of Western intelligence agencies to stir up Azari separatist feelings, Azaris are very well integrated into Iranian society. Many Azari Iranians are prominent in Farsi literature, politics and the clerical world. The Safavid shahs were Azaris from Ardabil and current supreme leader Ali Khamenei is an ethnic Azari. Azaris are famously active in commerce, so bazaars nationwide ring with their voluble voices. I ranian taxi drivers are often Azari so it’s always worth having an Azari greeting (kefez yakhtsede? or nijasan?) up your sleeve to impress. Answer yakhtse (good) in Tabriz, yakhshi in Ardabil. Thank you (very much) is (chokh) saghol

 Azarbayjan Museum :

 (Imam Khomeini St; admission US$1; h8am-2pm & 4-8pm Sat-Thu summer, 8am-12.30pm Fri, 8am5pm winter) This  museum is 50m west of the Blue Mosque. Enter through a great brick portal with big wooden doors guarded by two stone rams. Ground-fl oor exhibits include fi nds from  Hasanlu (an Iron Age town that developed into a citadel over 4000 years), a superb 3000-year-old copper helmet and curious stone ‘handbags’ from the 3rd millennium BC. Found near Kerman these were supposedly symbols of wealth once carried by provincial treasurers. The basement features Ahad Hossein’s powerful if disturbing sculptural allegories of life and war. The top fl oor displays a re-weave of the famous ‘Ardebil’ carpet, reckoned to be one of the best ever made; the original is beautifully displayed in London’s Victoria & Albert Museum.

 Arg-e Tabriz :

This huge brick edifice (off  Imam Khomeini St), an u nmissable landmark, is a chunky remnant of Tabriz’s early-14th-century citadel (known as ‘the Ark’). Criminals were once executed by being hurled from the top of the citadel walls. Far-fetched local legend tells of one woman so punished who was miraculously saved by the parachute-like eff ect of her chador. Ongoing construction of a stadium-sized Mosallah Mosque next door is reportedly undermining the Arg’s foundations and access is usually impossible.

  Other Attractions 

Behind high gates, the curious  Anglican Church (Walman St) has a tower of four diminishing cylinders. The relatively central Kalisa-ye Sarkis-e Moqaddas (Sarkis Church; Kalisa Alley) serves the Armenian community. It’s hidden in a basketball court behind high white gates. The 19th-century bathhouse,  Nobar Hamam (Imam Khomeini St), is usually locked but worth double-checking. Almost opposite, the German-designed Municipal Hall (Shahrdari Sq) is a century-old Tabriz icon. It’s only open to the public during occasional exhibitions. Follow Tabazan St down its western fl ank then take the second lane to the left to fi nd the  Museum of Measurement (Sanjesh Muze; %554 2459; admission US$1; h8am-6pm Sat-Thu, 9am-1pm Fri) hidden amid very ordinary apartment blocks. The brilliantly restored 160-year-old Qajar mansion is more interesting than its display of rococo German clocks and commercial scales. Two blocks further south a trio of impressive 230-year-old mansions with two-story colon nades and decorative ponds now comprise the Architecture Faculty of the Islamic Arts University. Two more blocks further is the house museum of much-loved Tabrizi poet  Ostad Shahriyar exhibiting the loveably ordinary settee and TV set that he used till his death in 1987. Shahriyar is now commemorated much more ostentatiously with the strikingly modernist  Poets’ Mausoleum (Maghbarat al-Shoara, Maqbar al-Shoara; Seyid Hamzeh St). Its angular interlocking concrete arches are best viewed across the refl ecting pool from the south. The complex also commemorates over 400 other scholars whose tombs have been lost in the city’s various earthquakes. Take bus 116. Around 350m southeast of the Poets’ Monument (but with no direct road between them) is the elegant Qajar Museum (Amir Nezam House; %523 6568; Farhang St, Sheshgelan; admission US$1; h8am-6pm Sat-Thu, 9am-1pm Fri) within the palatial 1881 Amir Nezam House, Tabriz’s most impressive Qajar mansion with a split-level facade. It’s oddly hidden between a school and a children’s hospital

 OUTER TABRIZ 

About 4km east of Abaresan Crossing is the wealthy if architecturally neutral Valiasr District. While hardly SoHo, it’s the nearest Tabriz comes to an entertainment district. The city’s gilded youth sip espressos around Valiasr’s Karimkhan (Bozorg) Sq and make a nightly passeggiata along pedestrianised Shahriyar St, misleadingly nicknamed Champs Elysées.   Elgoli (Shahgoli) Park, 8km southeast of the centre, is popular with summer strollers and courting couples. Its fairground surrounds an artifi cial lake, in the middle of which a photogenic restaurant-pavilion occupies the reconstruction of a Qajar-era palace.

Activities

When there are  suffi  ciently large groups, ALP Tours & Travel Agency (%331 0340; fax 331 0825; Karimkhan Sq; hDec-Apr) can organise Friday s kiing excursions to Mt Sahand. The cost for transport is US$6, lift pass (US$5) and ski rental (US$17 to US$19) are extra. ALP can also arrange  climbing guides for Mt Sabalan.

Hostel and Hotel:

* there are a lot of hotels in each city but I prefer to introduce the cheap hotels and hostels .

 CENTRAL AREA :

 Azarbayjan Hotel : 

555 9051; fax 553 7477; Shari’ati St; s/d/tr US 18/26/31; a) A fi ne, central option with consistently friendly service and unpretentious but regularly renovated rooms with excellent hot showers and towels. Doubleglazing reduces traffic noise.

Darya geusthouse: 

554 0008; Mohaqqeqi St; s/tw without bathroom from US$7/9, with bathroom US$13/16) This friendly family guesthouse has well-tended rooms in a sensibly graded variety of qualities. The tirelessly helpful owner looks uncannily like Louis de Funes and delights in retelling tales of his 1970s trips to Europe. There’s a useful travellers’ tip book.

Park Hotel : 

 (555 1852; Imam Khomeini St; s/tw/tr US$10/12/15) This off ers slight old-world

charm and there’s a vine-trained rear courtyard garden. Large rooms have washbasins but somewhat tatty carpets.

Morvarid hotel: 

 (553 3336; Fajr Sq; s/tw US$13/18) This longterm favourite remains reasonable value and is blessed with decent bathrooms. Jebel speaks good English and doubles as driver guide.

 Kosar Hotel: $ (traditional hotel)

(553 7691; fax 554 1570; info@kosarhotel.com; Imam Khomeini St; d US$20; a) Professionally upgraded historic building with wellfurnished, tile-fl oored rooms that include satellite TV (Euronews) and fridge. Some have Western toilets and double beds. Traffic rumbles at night.

Mashhad hotel: 

(555 8255; Ferdosi St; dm/s/tw/tr/q US$2/4/5/ 8/10; shower US$1) Possibly the only mosaferkhaneh allowing foreigners to use (five-bed) dorms.

 Bagh Guesthouse:

(555 2762; Ferdosi St; s/d/tr US$4/7/9) Brighter and cleaner than most mosaferkhanehs, rooms here are fairly small but fi ve of the 12 have double beds, unusual at this price range.