Tabriz, Iran

It was a chilly, windy morning, and we set out for a day of exploration of Tabriz, which has a population of 1.6 million people. It is located in the northwest part of the country not too far from the border with Azerbaijan.

First we visited Masjed-e Kaboud, or the Blue Mosque, which is known for its splendid tile work. The original structure dates back to the 15th century and much of its original grandeur remains, including the intense color of the tile. An earthquake destroyed most of it, but what remained was quite spectacular!

We then walked next door to the Azerbaijan Museum. Tabriz is actually the capital of Azerbaijan Provence in Iran, which explains the name of the museum, which housed everything from archeological artifacts to carpets to 19th century glass jewelry boxes.

Our next stop was an underwhelming citadel (or ruins thereof) from the 14th century called Arg-e Tabriz. I didn't even take a picture of it because I thought it was ugly.

We then walked through the maze-like bazaar of Tabriz, which has over 6 km of covered passageways and 16 caravanserai attached to it at various locations. Tabriz was one of the most important stops on the Silk Road and was one of the largest trading centers for centuries.

We had lunch in a restaurant in the bazaar and then continued our touring by visiting Constitution House, which was a privately owned house that has been converted to a museum displaying pictures and memorabilia from the turn of the 20th century when Iran underwent a constitutional revolution forcing the king to obey the will of parliament. An interesting tidbit of history that I learned was about an American named Howard Baskerville, who is a hero here in Iran. He was a teacher who took up the cause and eventually died for it.

We then tried to visit the calligraphy museum but it was closing just as we arrived (at 3pm). To abate our disappointment, our guide took us to a local confectionary, which was like walking into heaven. They had some amazing candy and baked goods there. One thing we tried was a delicious cookie that was made with walnut flour and topped with all sorts if nuts like almonds and pistachio... So good!!!

The rest of the day was spent wandering the streets of Tabriz, which normally would have not been something I would have particularly enjoyed, but the people here are so friendly and curious. We were approached by strangers who wanted to know where we were from and welcomed us to their country. They have a lot of street cats here, so I bought a thing of sausage to feed cats that we passed, and a group gathered as I was feeding two of them, and they were so appreciative that I was feeding the cats (they love cats here, it is after all where Persian cats come from...). I just can't say enough about how friendly and caring and welcoming the people here are. I had such a great afternoon doing nothing but walking, laughing and talking with strangers on the street.

Eventually it was time to head back to our hotel, where we had diner at the revolving restaurant on the 12th (top) floor. It was a great birds-eye view of the illuminated city at night. A great day!!!