TEHRAN – A number of journalists from different news organizations have visited Tabriz, the capital of East Azarbaijan province, on a familiarization tour, CHTN reported on Saturday.

The three-day tour, which came to an end on Friday, aimed at promoting the city’s top tourist attractions and showcasing it as a travel destination, the report added.

Aside from cultural and historical attractions, the tour also included visits to modern tourist facilities and hotels that had been renovated.

Soaked in history and culture for millennia, Tabriz embraces several historical and religious sites, including the Jameh Mosque of Tabriz and Arg of Tabriz, and UNESCO-registered Tabriz Historic Bazaar Complex, to name a few. The city became the capital of the Mongol Il-Khan Mahmud Gazan (1295–1304) and his successor. Timur (Tamerlane), a Turkic conqueror, took it in 1392. Some decades later, the Kara Koyunlu Turkmen made it their capital. It was when the famous Blue Mosque was built in Tabriz.

The city retained its administrative status under the Safavid dynasty until 1548, when Shah Tahmasp I relocated his capital westward to Qazvin. During the next two centuries, Tabriz changed hands several times between Persia and the Ottoman Empire. During World War I, the city was temporarily occupied by Turkish and then 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.

ABU/AM