TEHRAN-- Some 100 Iranian travel marketers and tour operators have been welcomed to explore East Azarbaijan province on a familiarization tour, the provincial tourism chief has said.The three-day trip, which will begin on Tuesday, targets at presenting the northwestern province to the tourism industry specialists and promoting it as a travel location, Ahmad Hamzehzadeh explained on Monday.It will likewise familiarize the participants with the tourist attractions of the province such as a historical market, cultural heritage museums, and the rocky village of Kandovan, the official added.Soaked in history and culture for millennia, Tabriz, the capital of East Azarbaijan, embraces a number of historic and religious websites, including the Jameh Mosque of Tabriz and Arg of Tabriz, and UNESCO-registered Tabriz Historic Bazaar Complex among others.
The city became the capital of the Mongol Il-Khan Mahmud Gazan (1295-- 1304) and his follower.
Timur (Tamerlane), a Turkic conqueror, took it in 1392.
Some years later on, the Kara Koyunlu Turkmen made it their capital.
It was when the famous Blue Mosque was integrated in Tabriz.The city maintained its administrative status under the Safavid dynasty until 1548 when Shah Tahmasp I moved his capital westward to Qazvin.
During the next 2 centuries, Tabriz altered hands several times between Persia and the Ottoman Empire.
During World War I, the city was momentarily inhabited by Turkish and after that Soviet troops.Tabriz was declared a world craft city of carpet weaving by the World Craft in 2016.
It also bore the title of the Islamic Tourism Capital in 2018.