TEHRAN - Tabriz Cultural Week will officially start tomorrow at the Iranian Artists Forum in downtown Tehran and will continue for one week.

As mentioned by the public relations of the Forum, which co-hosts the event, a photo exhibition “Tabriz Cultural Week in Tehran” will be inaugurated at the Environmental Gallery of the Forum on Tuesday.

Additionally, Tabriz Music Night is scheduled for 4:00 PM on Tuesday and Friday (February 14) at Forum’s Ostad Shahnaz Hall.

A special session on Tabriz miniature painting will also be held at 4:00 PM on Tuesday at Ostad Naseri Hall, the organizers said.

Another highlight of the event includes the screening of “A Retrospective of Cinematic Works” at 4:00 PM on February 14, at Ostad Naseri Hall.

The event’s closing ceremony is scheduled for February 16, at Milad Tower.

Other key programs of the cultural week include the introduction of Tabriz handicrafts, cultural and artistic exhibitions, music nights, short film screenings, thematic and specialized panels, a turquoise exhibition, illustration, calligraphy, painting exhibitions, and a special session dedicated to women.

The event will be held under the slogan “Tabriz, the Eternal Paradise.”

Tabriz, a perfect introduction to Iran

Tabriz is a big but relaxed city, filled with hospitable people and a UNESCO-listed bazaar to explore. It is the perfect introduction to Iran for sightseers crossing over the border from Armenia, or through the Gurbulak Bazargan border from Turkey.

Downtown Tabriz is very walkable and the people are also extremely friendly, something not particularly common in big cities.

“Tabrizians are incredibly warm and hospitable. Within an hour of being in the city, we were greeted and welcomed to Iran at least a dozen times. We were practically getting whiplash from looking over our shoulders so often to see who was shouting a greeting to us,” according to Alexandra Reynolds, who is an American backpacker and blogger.

Like many cities in Iran, Tabriz has a long and rich history but saw many of its historic buildings destroyed by invaders or earthquakes. Tabriz 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 the ancient city.

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 Ottoman Empire. During World War I, the city was temporarily occupied by Turkish and then Soviet troops.

AM