Iran/Azerbaijan/Tabriz Bazaar Part 3
Tabriz:
Phone
Country Code for
Iran: 0098 (+98)
Area Code for Tabriz: 0411
Tabriz
Cellular Phone (
Code): 0914
Get around
City transport, awaiting the
Metro currently under construction (and still for a long time) is limited to Taxis, shared taxis and buses.
Taxis can be chartered for a modest fee (around 20
USD if you need a driver and car for the whole day to visit the region!)
Shared taxis are even more of a bargain, but you will need to speak a few words of
Persian and risk your life by stepping on the side of the road and scream your destination at passing-by Paykans. However, the experience of sharing a car with 4 locals of both genders and all ages (+ driver) can be fun!
Odds are the fare won't be more than
10 cents (1.
000 Rials) for a 10-minutes trip. Some drivers even refuse to be paid, the pleasure of chatting with a foreigner about the various plagues of Iran being apparently enough to make their day. (be careful of tarof, though)
Buses are difficult to take (no map, no schedule) and definitely not worth the experience when compared to shared taxis despite being quasi-free.
See
Saat Tower (
Municipality of Tabriz).
Blue Mosque
Ghari Bridge
The Bazaar of Tabriz
Inside Tabriz
With a very rich history, Tabriz used to house many historical monuments.
Unfortunately, many of them were destroyed in repeated invasions and attacks of foreign forces, negligence of the ruling governments, as well natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods. What remains now mostly dates back to the Ilkhanids, the
Safavids, and the
Qajars. Some of the monuments are unrivaled masterpieces of architecture. The
Shahrdari Square is the center of the town, on the south-west of which stands the imposing edifice of
Municipality. The railway station (5 km from the center of the town) is at the western edge of the town. The
Quri Chai river runs through Tabriz, and most places of interest to the visitor are to the south of this river and alone or north of
Imam Khomeini Avenue.
Saat Tower, Saat Sq., Emam Ave
.. Saat Tower is the
symbol of Tabriz. It was used as the main office of the city municipality. Nowadays it is the cite for Municipality museum. edit
El
Goli (locals call it
Shah Goli), Shahgoli Blvd. (
South east of Tabriz). It is a pool and a building in the middle of the poor. It used to be the summer palace for rulers or the king who ruled in Tabriz. Nowadays it is considered a suburban park with a square artificial pond
. In the center, a small hall is on an island and hosts a restaurant. Very nice for eating some tchelokebab or sip some tea while enjoying the freshness of the park in summer. edit
Blue Mosque (Goy Machid),
Near to
Mansur St., Emam Ave (
City Center, close to Saat Tower). 9ː00 am till 4ː00 pm.
Originally built in 1465, this mosque which was once certainly superb, but was severely damaged in an earthquake in 1778, leaving only the entrance
Iwan. It was reconstructed at early
1900 by the
Iranian Ministry of Culture. The inside of the mosque is tiled with superb blue ceramic, but unfortunately, many pieces went missing during the quake and were simply replaced by painting instead of tiles. Some of the original tiles can be found around the entrance. edit
Bazaar of Tabriz, Rasteh-Kucheh (
City center). is one of the oldest bazaars of the
Middle East and the largest covered bazaar in the world. It was inscribed as
World Heritage Site by
UNESCO in July
2010. The Bazaar is still alive and considered one of the major shopping and commerce center in Tabriz. Tabriz has been a place of cultural exchange since antiquity and its historic bazaar complex is one of the most important commercial centers on the
Silk Road. Located in the center of the city of
Tabriz, Iran, this spectacular structure consists of several sub-bazaars, such as
Amir Bazaar (for gold and jewelry), Mozzafarieh (a carpet bazaar), a shoe bazaar, and many other ones for various goods. The most prosperous time of Tabriz and it's bazaar was in
13th century when town became the capital city of
Safavid kingdom. The city lost it's status as capital in
16th century, but it's bazaar has been being important as a commercial and economic center. Although, numerous modern shops and malls have been established nowadays, the bazaar of Tabriz has remained economic heart of both the city and northwestern of Iran. It is worthy of mention that Tabriz bazaar has been being an important political place, and one can
point out its importance in the
Iranian Constitutional Revolution in the last century and
Islamic Revolution in the contemporary time.