Ardabil
Ardabil fills the right ear of the Persian cat! The geographical map I mean. A province that, due to its location in the heights of Sabalan, has kindly given its beautiful and wonderful effects to the soil and water of this land. Maybe if one day you have finished all your Iran tour and you get to choose where to live, the slopes of Sabalan will be an ideal place to live.
The Alborz mountain range, which is a continuation of the Ararat Mountains in Turkey in Iran, begins in the northwestern regions with two high peaks, Sahand and Sabalan. The silent volcano of Sabalan covers all of Ardabil and half of Azerbaijan.
One of the products that Sabalan generously gives to the people of Iran is honey. The slopes of Sabalan are full of plants such as thyme, mint, and coriander, and this has led to the production of delicious and high-quality honey in Ardabil.
What can differentiate the people of Ardabil from other cities in Iran is their enthusiasm and effort in performing ceremonies and rituals like Ashura. They celebrate all the holidays with their hearts and souls and mourn, which rises from the purity of their hearts.
The language of the people of Ardabil is Azerbaijani with Ardabil dialect. Ardabil is one of the richest corners of Iranian music and these rituals are performed with music.
We are talking about a city that has no limitation for anything, you want nature it has it, organic products? Authentic handicrafts? History? Myth? Ardabil has them all.
In handicraft, for instance, Ardabil’s Filigreeing is 3,000 years old and is one of the oldest methods of making jewelry there. Filigreeing is the art of making jewelry, dishes, and ornaments using metal and wire made of gold, silver, and copper.
Kilim weaving is perhaps the main handicraft of Ardabil and its most important, which is world-famous. Old examples of kilim weaving in Ardabil have been discovered since the Parthian period.
One of the world’s best UNESCO Heritage Sites has been constructed in this city: Sheikh Safi al-Din Khaneghah and Shrine Ensemble.
After the death of Sheikh Safi al-Din, during the reign of Shah Abbas I Safavid, this Shrine and Ensemble became a place that is matchless in terms of architecture and has been registered as one of UNESCO World Heritage sites. Muqarnas tiling, tiling, miniatures, and gilding are some of the arts and beauty of this Shrine.
One of the magnetism of Sheikh Safi’s Shine is the unusual narrowing of the porch. Plaster motifs have been one of the gypsum decorations in the art of Iranian architecture. Only two buildings have this sort of art. One is the top floor of Isfahan’s Ali Qapu and the other is the Shrine of Sheikh Safi.
Names can take to worlds. Like how in Narnia you open a backdoor of a closet and there you enter a magical place. Names could give you the same thing. Historical pieces of evidence give op sometimes but linguistics could extract more from just one simple name. Unlike objects, what literature records turn into a tradition. And the tradition of calligraphy and writing rarely changes.
Ardabil is an Iranian (Indo-European) name that is probably mentioned differently in Pahlavi sources because at least Ferdowsi mentioned the name of this city in several verses.
“Ard” at the beginning of the name of this city is rooted in “Ardi” from Ardi Behesht, and Ard (or Ord) means the “order” that is achieved in the continuation of justice, and its only executor is none other than Ahura Mazda.
Most likely, the whole word Ardabil means a city in which the divine order has been or will be established. This world leads us to the Aryan tribe migration track.
Throughout the province and the city of Ardabil, there are signs of human life in much older periods, but the Aryans gave their name to the native land of Elamites. And presented themselves to a large extent in history.
Ardabil has been the center of the Azerbaijan region before Tabriz. when the Mongol invasion started, their leaders came to the district in pursuit of Jalal ad-Din Khwarazmdhah, and Ardabil was burned to the ground because they refused to back out from supporting their king.
After the Ilkhanate took over Tabriz was established. Ardabil also rose from the ashes though it no longer gained political importance.
When the Safavid Shiite movement began to sprout, Sheikh Safi established his religious orientation in Ardabil. From then on, Ardabil was the home of guidance and as a holy place, it was visited through the shrine of Sheikh Safi, and many people, as well as Safavid rulers, made their vows and dedication in this city.
Ardabil is built on the slopes of Sabalan and Talesh heights and for this reason, it is cold and mountainous. Even spring can be very cold to see Ardabil. The months of Ordi-Behesht and Khordad (April to June) are the best time to travel to this city because nature tourism is a feature of Ardabil and you are not going to stay under a roof.
Ardabil winters are full of snow and rain. Of course, now due to global warming, the drought situation in Iran, and of course, improper use of water resources, this amount of rainfall is not as glorious and cumbersome as in the past.
You may also be able to enjoy winter travel. The nature of a white-clad hand is both eerie and attractive and attracts many people. If you are one of these people, go to Ardabil in winter. Just be sure to bring enough warm clothing and appropriate shoes.
So maybe you go to visit the UNESCO World Heritage site (which we have a full section dedicated to this heritage on our website) of Ardabil, and hit the road. Because all around the city has natural landscapes. Find the best honey and experience a little Adrenalin when you are passing Meshgin Shahr’s sustainable bridge.
Don’t forget to try the Ardabilian Barbari bread with organic Kaymak and honey. Have your breakfast in nature, try fresh Cherries and Sour Cherries, Ash-e Doogh (a stew you shouldn’t miss), Kofta (sort of big meatballs but in a total Persian style), and water Buffalo’s milk. There you are all set for Ardabil.