If you wonder history, you know Tabriz. It is considered to be one of the brightest spots in Eastern history. The most brilliant pages of history are traces of some of the world's ancient civilizations, including Venice in Europe, Cairo in africa and Beijing in the far east, and Samarkand in the middle of Asia.
Tabriz is an Iranian city today. Located in the northwest of the country near the border of Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan republic.

Tabriz is also one of the most touristic cities in Iran. The city with a population of 2 million is the center of Eastern Azerbaijan with a population of 4 million and its people speak Turkish.
I can really recommend you and your family to have a trip to Tabriz this summer. You ask why? You do not have a single reason for this. I will count the top 15 reasons for you.
Here are 15 reasons to have a good travel to Tabriz on this summer:
1- The World Health Organization named Tabriz as the healthiest and most hygienic city in Iran. For a third consecutive year, the northwestern city of Tabriz has been introduced as the best Iranian city to live in. According to studies by the United Nations about different cities across the world published in an online magazine, Tabriz is the most beautiful and developed Iranian city followed by Tehran, Isfahan, Mashhad, Shiraz, Qom and Orumiyeh. Fars News Agency filed a report on October 12 on the designation of Tabriz as the best Iranian city. The translation of part of the report is as follows: Among other things, the number of modern and beautiful buildings, developed airlines, attractive pristine nature, delicious food, beautiful mosques and historical sites contributed to Tabriz’s securing the title.
It came after the World Health Organization named Tabriz as the healthiest and most hygienic city in Iran two years ago. Tabriz has also been identified as an Iranian city at the forefront of private investment and the most successful in fulfilling the provisions of Article 44 of the Constitution [which deals with privatization of state companies]. The provincial capital of East Azerbaijan was also named as the World’s Carpet Capital in 2015 by UNESCO and the World Crafts Council. Only 11 cities have been designated as a World Crafts City. As the representative of Muslim cities on that list Tabriz is in the lead.
2- The Tabriz people is free of some hallucinations in Iran. Perhaps one of the reasons that Tabriz can be regarded as the most developed and enlightened city of Iran in this respect. Maybe it has even been effective at being Tabriz as the most livable city of Iran. People think more realistically. Today, an important part of 5 million Iranians living in USA and Europe are from Tabriz. They are the most prominent foreigners in integration.
3- Tabriz trip will cost so cheaper for you that you will not can believe! With a proper planning (Ajamalisi can help you) you can have a travel of 3-4 day in Tabriz with 75-80 dollars! If you are a family of 4, this figure is at most $ 150. You can plan Tabriz travel in continuation of your Turkey, Armenia or Baku trip. Tabriz is only 280 kilometre away from the border of Turkey and only 175 kilomter away from the border with Armenia and just 135 kilomtre away from the border of the Republic of Azerbaijan! It would be easier to understand how little it is when you know that Iran has a surface area of 1,650,000 square kilometers!
4- Shahgoli or El goli (Şahgölü/ El gölü) as one of the oriental love symbols is in Tabriz. Shahgoli is a symbol of the love of a Muslim king to a Christian prince. Şahgölü is an artificial lake made by Akkoyunlu king Uzun Hassan in the 15th century for his wife Marta. The Akkoyunlu state and the Trabzon pontus state where trying to unite against the Ottoman Empire. Then Trabzon king's daughter Marta was married to Akkoyunlu king Uzun hasan. Marta was a girl who grew up with the sea and the coast. But there is no sea in Tabriz. Uzun hasan built a lake of 300,000 square meters in a green area dominated by a citadel and boats above a high hill of the city, for his beloved wife. This lake is called the Shahgoli (Şahgölü). Nowadays, sometimes it is called as El goli (El gölü), but nothing can shadow the spectacular love story of Uzun hasan and Marta!
5- Tabriz is the mine source of most desserts and foods. So you are getting to know 70 percent of Iranian desserts and foods with the menu in Tabriz. Tabriz cookie, nuka, as well as being famous, is said to be a different copy of Isfahan's sweet “gaz”.
6- The world's largest covered bazaar is in Tabriz (Tabrizian people call "üstü örtülü bazaar") and also is in the list of UNESCO world heritage. A great number of tourists are entered Iran for seeing only Tabriz bazaar every year. Here you can walk with your family for hours in a beautiful old legendary oriental atmosphere, the famous Tabriz carpets, shoes, dresses, desserts etc.
7- Tabriz is the city of legends. For 400 years, Tabriz has become the capital of great states and empires such as Ilkhanate, Chobanies, Timur, Karakoyunlu, Akkoyunlu and Safevids. The great part of the treasures of these states and empires that where not fond by successor states, is one of the most important issues for men interested treasures nad antiques.
8- Tabriz is the city where the world's first university was established. Rab'-e Rashidi with its ruins in the north-east of the city, is referred to by historians as the first university in the world. Rab'-e Rashidi was an enormous mausoleum with its university, houses, mosques, medes, mosques and present-day, where thousands of scientists were gathered and placed all over the world during the Ilkhanid period, 700 years ago.
9- Throughout history, Tabriz has nurtured the whole Islamic world, especially in Istanbul with art and science. Nowadays, you can see the works of architects, artists and scientists of Tabriz especially in İstanbul, Bursa, Konya, Amasya, Erzurum, Sivas, Cairo, Aleppo, Baghdad, Baku, Samarkand, Herat, Saraj bosna, Isfahan, Mashhed, Yazd, Ganja, Erivan and it is possible to see many other places. The green complex in Bursa, the green kümbet in Konya, the yavuz salim mosque, the piri pasha mosque in Istanbul and also the reconstruction plan of topkapi after the earthquake 1509 earthquake, the fountains in Amasya and Tabriz gate in Erzurum.
10- The plains where Tabriz city are located are known by historians as the center of the first human civilizations (in spite of mesopotamia, anatolia etc.), whereas western thinkers who look at it from the standpoint of religion tell that Tabriz is the place that Adam landed on the world and they based those claims to the Bible and Torah books and claim Tabriz as the place of Aden Heaven! Today, It is now known that the first great civilization of the Sumerians who lived for 5-2 thousand years BC. can only be translated by their similarity to the Turkish language. The new researchs shows that the Sumerians went from the present Tabriz to the Mesopotamia and while the Sumerians lived in Mesopotamia, numbers of states with other names lived in Tabriz region (the same way in the middle anatolia and the southwestern of Iran in) spoken by the same tongue with Sumerians. You can follow the traces of these that researchers have done in recent years. I will tell and explain you all these things with theire sources and bases in your Tabriz travel.
11- Kenduvan is one of three samples of life-style fairy chimneys in the world located in the mountainous region to the south of Tabriz. As it is known, the world's greatest fairy chimneys is underground in Cappadocia- Turkey, and the second one is in USA. The third is in Iran-Tabriz. The similarity of this lifestyle belongs to thousands of years ago, and this similarity make us thinging that all of them are made by the same culture. You have probably read or heard that the american's ancient civilizations are of Asian origin. These are not matters you can hear from your tour and travel guide. I will explain my reasons as a local history researcher for you my special guests in Tabriz.
12- Tabriz is the owner of Iran's most popular football team. The team that was established with the name of its sponsor tractor factory 45 years ago, now plays in Iran's first league. Eight years ago, the team's coach claimed that the team had 35,000,000 supporters. Although this seems like a very exaggerated figure and is not accepted by supporters of the Tahran (capital) teams, the tractor team is able to demonstrate that it has a massive fan base, filling in the stadiums in almost every critical game (even in Tehran stadiums).
13- Tabriz was selected as the tourism capital of the Islamic countries for the year 2018. So this year, Tabriz is more center of attraction. This title changes every year. It was in Konya (Turkey) last year and will be in Baku (Azerbaijan Republic) the next year.
14- Babek Castle, located in the north-east of Tabriz, is the symbol of the resistance of the people of the region against persecution. 1300 years ago, while the Arabs carried out attacks on the region under the name of the islamic army, the region of Tabriz showed the strongest resistance. Volunteers from the region made a fort at the peak of a mountain in mountainous region named Qaradagh, and they resisted the attacks of Arabs for 23 years. The way to the castle and the head of the castle awaken tremendous fillings of resistance and respect. The castle is also famous for its diversity and richness in terms of its location.
15- And I will count for you, the last reason may come a little strange! Yes, the fifteenth reason is that some people do not want you to visit and see this city. Maybe this is the greatest proof that Tabriz is different.

Did you hear about Shams Tabrizi?

I will tell you all these and more details. I wish you a nice, friendly and pleasant trip to Tabriz this summer ...