Tabriz, Iran

Tabriz is the capital of East Azerbaijan province, in the North region of Iran, and my 1st stop into Iran.  It is an ancient city with a history going back about 4,500 years. 

The Bazaar of Tabriz is one of the oldest bazaars of the Middle East and the largest covered bazaar in the world. Its magnificent, labyrinthine covered bazaar covers some 7 sq km with 24 separate caravanserais and 22 impressive timchehs (domed halls). It includes several sub-bazaars, such as Amir Bazaar (for gold and jewelry), Mozzafarieh (a carpet bazaar), a shoe bazaar, and many other ones for various goods

Construction began over a millennium ago, though much of the fine brick vaulting is 15th century. Upon entering one feels like a launched pinball, bouncing around through an extraordinary colorful maze, only emerging when chance or carelessness dictates. It is a Unesco World Heritage Site. 

Tabriz carpets are among the finest in the world, and there are masterpieces in shops and inside the Bazaar. Tabriz rugs are among the most decorative rugs and frequently use colors like pink, red and cream. Rugs here are about 50% less than what paid in the West, but I am not interested in carrying them alone my trip for another month, and I can not tell their true value. I learned my lesson in Thailand not to buy expensive things that I do not understand. Seeing them and taking photos were enough for me.

I heard from my Japanese backpacker friend that another Japanese backpacker we met in Istanbul finally claimed back her money for a $2,000 piece of rug, after she spent weeks there, sought all help she could get, even hired a lawyer. Not a good Segway for traveling. 

Tabriz is also famous for Confectioneries and Dried Nuts. there are lots of confectioneries which are speacially for tabriz Qurabiya is one of the most delicious and famous ones, there are other confectioneries such as Nuga(or Nuqa), others like Ris, there are also lots of other kinds of confectioneries.

In terms of food, i did not have much choice apart from the traditional rice and kebab. Unlike other countries, I could not find money exchanges other than on one street, and I did not find a SIM carrier there. I was just trying to ease into the new country and customs, struggling to read the numbers and finding my way around while minimizing people's attention. Me and my friend Ana spent only one night in Tabriz and then headed down to Tehran.