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August 07, 2005
Tabriz
I am back in Tehran, after a nice, five day trip to the north and northwest of Iran. I am glad to be back in a sense, but of course I regret the end of the thrill that travelling brings (although I am still technically travelling!) and I also miss the cool weather in Shomal and in Tabriz.
Well, after my last entry from Shomal, my friend and I continued our journey (with some minor transportational difficulties, including not finding a bus to take us from Rasht to Tabriz!) and arrived in Tabriz on Wednesday.
Tabriz is the capital of the Eastern Azerbaijan province, which should not be mistaken for the Republic of Azerbaijan which is another country altogether (and was not even called Azerbaijan until a good 80 years ago, rather "Arran").
Tabriz is an interesting and beautiful city. It is much less crowded than Tehran, and despite having lost many of its historical buildings due to several earthquakes and attacks by Ottoman troops, its people have managed to safe-keep the remaining buildings and restore them well. Among these buildings is the Blue Mosque, a brilliant 15th century mosque made at the time when Tabriz was the capital of the Aq Qoyunlu Kingdom. It apparently was built on top of an earlier structure, since archaeological excavations have unearthed some structures below the surface of the mosque, including a pre-historic burial, contents of which have been moved to a museum.
Tabriz also has an interesting and very large bazaar, very similar in structure to the one in Tehran with which I am very familiar. It has as well been seriously damaged in an earthquake, but has been restored very well. Generally, Tabrizis seem to be proud of their city and quite keen on preserving it, unlike Tehran whose inhabitants seem to be hellbent on trashing their city and stripping it off of its most beautiful sites, much to the dismay of those of us who can remember when Tehran was beautiful. The fact is, the population of the metropolis that is Tehran is now largely non-Tehrani (I would guess about 1-2 per-cent of the current population of Tehran are actually from this city), and so they do not care about its preservations, since they do not know it as their home and do not hold any memories of it. Alas, this is the fact, and my babbling about it does not solve anything either. I just wish I was not a Tehrani and I could feel that I belong to Shiraz (my favourite city in Iran).
Outside Tabriz, we went to a little village called Kandovan (about 50 km to the southwest of the city). This village is amazing, simple as that! Like Capadocia in Turkey, the village, located at the side of a series of low-mountains, consists of pyramid shaped earth-and-stone structures that have sprung-up from the ground due to various geological activities. Basically, these things came out of the earth filled with various earth gasses which were released upon coming-up and left large holes inside the pyramids. Then, the local people made the holes larger and built their homes inside these pyramids! It is in a sense unbelievable and a bit surreal. People live in these things so naturally, as if nothing is unusual. They have also stayed much more authentic and have not become commercialised like the Masuleh people, which was rather refreshing.
All in all, I enjoyed my time in Tabriz and I wish I had more time to explore the historic sites in Azerbaijan, particularly the Sasanian site of Takht-e Suleiman. Then again, whenever I come to Iran for a visit, I wish I had more time to do things. This is a vast country, and seeing it takes a long time, and since much of the tourist infrastructure is not built-up enough, it is even harder to see it in a short time. Anyway, I should be thankful; during the past four years, I have managed to see a good half of the country. I am going to see the whole thing eventually, slowly, but surely (eh, the damn cliche; there's no avoiding it, is it?).
Posted by Khodadad at August 7, 2005 02:20 PM
Comments
Khodadad, I enjoyed this post! I am traveling vicariously with you. :)
I think that you posted a picture of the Blue Mosque a while ago. I remember the picture. The dome is like a beautiful turquoise jewel! I am glad to hear that the people of Tabriz are working hard to preserve their architectural and cultural heritage. I think that it would be a good feeling for a resident to be surrounded by many of the same things that their ancestors were familar with. It is a feeling that I have never known.
Do the changes to Tehran date mostly to after the Islamic Revolution or did this process start with the Shah?
The village of Kandovan sounds very interesting. From your description, I have a picture in my mind of people living in little volcanos. Do these pyramid houses ever rumble or erupt? :) Seriously, it sounds like living in a cave: warm in the winter, cool in the summer.
I think that you have seen a lot more of Iran than I have of the U.S.! Good luck with your quest to see it all! :)
Posted by: David at August 9, 2005 12:26 AM