TEHRAN –A number of foreign students, who study in different universities of Tabriz, the capital of East Azarbaijan province, have visited the museums of the ancient city on a familiarization tour, the provincial tourism chief has said. 

The one-day tour, which was held on Tuesday, aimed at introducing the city’s tourist attractions and promoting it as a travel destination, Ahmad Hamzehzadeh explained on Wednesday. 

Some 1,000 international students study in Tabriz universities that could play a key role in introducing Iran and its culture in their countries, the official added. 

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