Ultimate Guide to Tabriz | Everything you need to know

Panoramic view of Tabriz, Iran

Tabriz, with more than 3500 years of history, and the capital of East Azerbaijan province, is considered a major hub for science and culture in Iran. This modern industrialized city has a population of over 2 million which make it the most populous city in northwestern of the country. Elevation of city ranges from 1,350 to 1,550 meters above sea level, with some volcanic cones around. The area is earthquake-prone and the city has been devastated and rebuilt several times throughout the history, and as a result, only few monuments have survived until now. Tabriz was named by the Organization of Islamic Conference as the “city of the Islamic world tourism” for 2018. It is also good to point out that this historical city has no beggar and drug addict.

Tabriz, which has been properly called the Gate of the Orient, is famous for its handicrafts, including hand-woven rugs and jewelry. For instance, The World Crafts Council (WCC-AISBL) has named this city World Carpet Weaving City in Oct 2015. In addition, local confectionery, chocolate, dried nuts and traditional Tabrizi food (such as Tabriz köfte) are recognized as some of the best throughout Iran. Moreover, the city is famous for several other handicrafts including silverwares, wood engraving, pottery and ceramics, Ghalamzani (Iranian style of toreutics), Moarraq (Iranian style of Mosaic), Monabbat, etc.

Lake Urmia Iran | photo by: Bardia Saadat

The Lake Urmia, the largest lake in the Middle East and the sixth-largest saltwater lake on Earth, is located 60 km away in west side of the city.

Tabriz contains many historical monuments, representing Iran’s architectural transition throughout its deep history. Among these sites is the grand Bazaar of Tabriz, which is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This city played an important role in the history of Iran, and as it was closest hub to Europe, many aspects of early modernization in Iran began in Tabriz.

Tabriz was chosen as the capital by several rulers during the history. First, It was the capital of the Ilkhanate (Mongol) dynasty in 1265. Later, it was again the capital of Iran from 1375 for about 126 years. Finally, it became capital of Safavid dynasty from 1501 till 1555, and was one of the biggest cities in the world. During the Qajar dynasty, Tabriz was used as residence center of Iranian Crown Prince (1794–1925).

Qajar Museum ( Amir Nezam House ) | photo by: Reza Milani

Language

The population is overwhelmingly Azerbaijani and they speak in Azerbaijani language (they call it Türki language), though Persian is spoken by residents as a second language. Similar to the other parts of Iran, the official language is Persian.

Climate

With cold winters and temperate summers, Tabriz is considered a summer resort. The city enjoys mild and fine climate in spring, dry and semi-hot in summer, humid and rainy in autumn and snowy cold in winter.

January is the coldest month in Tabriz with the most snowy days. Between Dec to Mar it mostly snow around 31 days in total. The month with the most rainfall in Tabriz is April. July is the warmest month in Tabriz. August is the month with the least rainfall.

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Average temperature in Tabriz

Best time to visit

The best time for traveling to Tabriz is from May to October. If you have a plan to go mountain climbing or to visit some places like Babak Castle which are located on top of mountains, it is better to go from Jun to September.

Public transportation

Tabriz residents mostly commute by public bus, shuttle taxis, Telephone Taxi, metro, bike, and personal cars. The city also has a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line which runs from Train Station in West of Tabriz to East of the city.

Bus Terminals

The Tabriz Central Bus Terminal is about 5 km south of the city of Tabriz. There are regular daily and night high quality buses to/from Tehran which takes around 8 hours. there is a local bus from there to city center.

Train

The train station (Tabriz Railway Station) is situated in west part of the city. You can get there by taxi. If you want to go Tehran from Tabriz, it takes you round 12 hours with 4 and 6 bed compartment trains. The route is as below:

Tabriz, Maraghe, Khorasanak, Mianeh, Zanjan, Khoram Dareh, Takestan, Qazvin, Hashtgerd, Karaj, Tehran

ِyou can read more about the history of Tabriz railway from Here.