Ardabil
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Ardabil
اردبیل
Sheikh Safi's Tomb
Sheikh Safi's Tomb
Ardabil (Iran)
Ardabil
Ardabil
Coordinates: 38°15′N 48°17′E / 38.25, 48.283
Province Ardabil
Regional District Ardabil
Government
 - M.P. Nouradin Pirmoazen, Vali Azarvash, Hassan No'i-Aghdam
Area
 - Total 18.011 km² (7 sq mi)
Elevation 1,500 m (4,921 ft)
Population (2001)
 - Total 340,386
 - Density 18,857/km² (48,839.4/sq mi)
Time zone IRST (UTC+3:30)
Area code(s) 451

Ardabil (Persian and Azeri: اردبیل) also known as Ardebil; Old Persian: Artavil) is a historical city in north-western Iran. The name Ardabil comes from the Zoroastrian name of "Artavil" (mentioned in Avesta) which means a holy place.[1] Ardabil is the center of Ardabil province. Its population is estimated to be around 340,386, the majority of whom are ethnic Azerbaijanis . Famed for its silk and carpet trade tradition, the ancient Ardabil Carpets are considered some of the best of the classical Persian Rug creations. Ardabil is also known as the seat of the sanctuary and tomb of Shaikh Safî ad-Dîn, eponym of the Safavid Dynasty. Its geographic coordinates are 38°15′N, 48°17′E.

Contents

Location

Ardabil is located about 70 km from the Caspian Sea, 210 km from the city of Tabriz and 25 km from Republic of Azerbaijan's border. It has an average altitude of 1263 m and total area of 18.011 km². Neighboring on the Caspian Sea and the Republic of Azerbaijan, this city is of great political and economical significance. The province of Ardabil has been blessed with splendid natural beauty and numerous sights. It is located on an open plain 1,500 m above sea level, just east of Mount Sabalan (4,811 m), where cold spells occur until late spring.

Climate

Cold and semi-arid, many tourists come to the region for its cool climate during the hot summer months maximum temperatures reaching to 35 °C . The winters are long and bitter cold, with a temperature plummeting to -25 °C. The annual rainfall is around 380 mm.

History

The province is believed to be as old as the Achaemenid era 2500 BC. It is mentioned in the Avesta, where prophet Zoroaster was born by the river Aras and wrote his book in the Sabalan Mountains. During Parthian era the city had a special importance among the cities of Azarbaijan. Some Muslim historians attribute foundation of Ardabil to king Peroz I of Sassanid Empire. The Persian poet Ferdowsi also credits the foundation of the city to Peroz I. Ardabil suffered some damages caused by occasional raids of Huns between 4th to 6th century AD. Peroz repaired those damages and fortified the city. Peroz made Ardabil the residential of provincial governor (Marzban, in Persian: مرزبان) of Azarbaijan.

During the Islamic conquest of Iran, Ardabil was the largest city in North Western Iran, and remained so until the Mongol invasion period. Ardabilis fought the Mongols three times, however the city fell after the third attempt by Mongols. They massacred not only the Ardabilis but inhabitants of neighboring villages and killing everyone they could find. Incursions of Mongols and Georgians left the city in ruins for nearly three centuries til the advent of Safavids.

Safavid Shah Ismail I started his campaign to nationalize Iran's government and land from here, but consequently announced Tabriz as his capital in 1500CE. Yet Ardabil remained an important city both politically and economically until modern times.

Demographics

Ardabil Carpet

The Ardabil Carpet, Persia, dated 946 AH. V&A Museum no. 272-1893. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The Ardabil Carpet, Persia, dated 946 AH. V&A Museum no. 272-1893. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

The Ardabil Carpet (Ardebil Carpet) is either of two famous Persian carpets which are currently held in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Completed during the rule of the Safavid Shah Tahmasp I in the mid-16th century, probably in Tabriz, the carpets are considered some of the best of the classical Persian school of carpet creation. They were first placed in a Mosque in Ardabil, but they had been damaged in Iran and were sold in 1890[2] to a British carpet broker who restored one of the carpets using the other and then resold it to the Victoria and Albert Museum. William Morris, then an art referee for the V&A, was instrumental in the acquisition.[3]

The second "secret" carpet was sold to American businessmen Clarence Mackay and was exchanged by wealthy buyers for years. Passing through the Mackay, Yerkes, and De la Mare art collections, it was eventually revealed and shown in 1931 at an exposition in London. American industrialist J. Paul Getty saw it, and bought it from Lord Duveen for approximately $70,000 several years later. Getty was approached by agents on behalf of King Farouk of Egypt who offered $250,000 so that it could be given as a wedding present.[4] Getty later donated the carpet to the Museum of Science, History, and Art in the Exposition Park in Los Angeles.

This most famous of Persian carpets has been the subject of endless copies ranging in size from small rugs to full scale carpets. There is an 'Ardabil' at 10 Downing Street and even Hitler had an 'Ardabil' in his office in Berlin.[3][5]

The foundation is of silk with wool pile of a knot density at 300-350 knots per square inch (470-540.000 knots per square metres, i.e. 26 million total knots). The size of the carpets are 34 1/2 feet by 17 1/2 feet ( 10,5 metres x 5,3 metres).[6] The carpets have an inscription: a couplet from a ghazal by Persian mythic poet Hafez and a signature.[7]

The 'Ardebil' carpet, now in the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, is probably the best known of all old Persian carpets. It is one of a pair which came to England in 1893 virtually in tatters. The decision was made to sacrifice one carpet so that the other could be restored. The cost of this work was prohibitively high, even for a museum, and it was only after an extensive public appeal that sufficient funds were raised for work to go ahead. There can be little doubt that in this case the end justified the means. The carpet, measuring 38′ long by 18′ wide, is an extremely fine speciment bearing an inscription by the weaver. This inscription reads:

      I have no refuge in the world other than thy threshold.
      There is no protection for my head other than this door.
      The work of the slave of the threshold Maqsud of Kashan in the year 946.

Translating this date into the Christian calendar shows that the carpet was woven around the years 1539-40 during the reign of Shah Tahmasp, one of the great patrons of carpet weaving. The incomplete remainder of the other 'Ardebil' carpet, which bears the same inscription and date, was given by J. Paul Getty to the Los Angeles County Museum.

– Essie Sakhai, The Story of Carpet. [8]        

References

  1. ^ Iranian Provinces: Ardabil
  2. ^ Getty, J. Paul (Revised 2003 edition). As I See It: The Autobiography of J. Paul Getty (html), Los Angeles: Getty Trust Publications, pp. 270-271. ISBN 978-0-89236-700-9. 
  3. ^ a b Lynda Hillyer (Head of Textile Conservation) and Boris Pretzel (Materials Scientist). ""The Ardabil Carpet - a new perspective."" (html). Victoria and Albert Museum, Conservation Journal Spring 2005: Number 49. “It was William Morris, in his capacity as one of the V&A's Art Referees, who persuaded the Museum to raise, with the aid of public subscription, the then vast sum of £2000 to purchase the carpet in March 1893.”
  4. ^ ""J. Paul Getty buys art in Europe and the Pierre Hotel in New York."" (html). Raken.com. “He [Getty] paid £14000 for the piece once declared “not for sale” by Lord Joseph Duveen. Years later [in 1938] he turned down an offer of $250,000 from King Farouk of Egypt, who wanted the rug as a wedding present for his sister, when she married the Shah of Iran.”
  5. ^ Jennifer Wearden (paper presented at Ars Textrina International Textiles Conference July 1995, University of Leeds). ""The Surprising Geometry of the Ardabil Carpet."" (html). Victoria and Albert Museum.
  6. ^ ""The Ardabil Carpets."" (html). Jozan Magazine on Oriental Rugs (31 January 2003). “Sources: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Oriental Rug Lexicon by Peter F. Stone.”
  7. ^ Shahram Razavi. ""The famous Ardebil Persian rug."" (html). WorldIsRound.com (includes closeup photograph of central medallion).
  8. ^ Sakhai, Essie (1991). "Chapter 1: In the Beginning", The Story of Carpet (html), Princess House, London: Studio Editions, Ltd., pp. 10-11. ISBN 1-85170-727-1. 

Other site for ardabil carpet

Attractions

Ardabil Museum
Ardabil Museum

Historical

  • The complex of Sheikh Safi-ad-din Ardabili: is an impressive ancient monument, comprising the following components: the mausoleums of Sheikh Safi and Shah Isma'il, Chini khaneh (meaning the house of chinaware), a mosque, Jannat Sara (meaning the house of paradise), Khanaqah (the house of Dervishes), Cheragh Khaneh (the house of lamps), Shahid khaneh (the house of martyrs) and Chelleh Khaneh (the place where devotees shut themselves up during the forty days of Lent). The mausoleum of Sheikh Safi, the famous dome of which is called "Allah-Allah" has an octagonal interior.(Virtual tour)
  • Masjid Jameh : Ruins of once magnificent and unique Mosque.
  • Mirza Ali Akbar mosque and school : This comlex dates back to Qajar period
  • Ardabil bazaar : This beautiful Persian bazaar was built during Safavid period and in addition to main bazaar hall with open vaults has a hammam and a small yet mystifying mosque.
  • Ardabil bridges : Ardabil host numerous historical bridges namely Pol-e Gilandeh, Pol-e Nayer, Pol-e Haft Cheshmeh, Pol-e Panj Cheshmeh and Pol-e Seh Cheshmeh most were built during Safavid era.
  • Imamzadeh Saleh mausoleum : The mausoleum of Imamzadeh Saleh who is a descendant of a Shia Imam was built 250 years ago.
  • Saint Mary church : This Armenian orthodox church has a beautiful wooden main door and painted dome built in 1876.

Being a city of great antiquity, the origins of Ardabil go back 4000 to 6000 years (according to historical research in this city). This city was the capital of Azerbaijan province in different times, but its golden age was in the Safavid period.

The other significant historical monuments are as follows: the mausoleum of Sheikh Jebra'il, located 2 km north of Ardabil, the old but always lively bazaar, the babadavood anbaran the Friday mosque, and a few ancient bridges. In addition to these, in many villages of Ardabil, relics of ancient monuments, including tombs have been found.

Geographical

Shorabil Lake
Shorabil Lake

It has many hot springs and beautiful natural landscapes and these attract tourists. The mineral springs of Ardabil are Beele-Darreh, Sar'eyn, Sardabeh and Booshloo, being famous for their medicinal qualities throughout Iran.

It has also many beauty lakes: the largest of which are Ne'or, Shorabil, ShoorGel, NouShahr and Aloocheh that are the habitats of some species of water birds. The beautiful Lake Ne'or is located in a mountainous area 48 km south-east of the city of Ardabil. It covers an area of 2.1 km² and has an average depth of 3 metres. It is fed by springs in the lake bed.

Lake Shorabil is located in a hilly area south of the city of Ardabil and covers an area of 640,000 m². The surface of the lake is covered with a thin white layer of minerals, being useful for healing skin diseases and rheumatism. Near the lake there is the leisure complex of Shorabil.

  • Baliqly Chay River :

Meaning "a river with many fish" in Azarbayjani language, this river originates from the Sabalan Mountains and passes through Ardabil city. As a result, many villages and townships have settled around this river. It also irrigates much of the agricultural lands in this province.

Safavi

Safavid Empire at its Greatest Extent
Safavid Empire at its Greatest Extent
Faravahar background
History of Greater Iran
Empires of Persia · Kings of Persia
Pre-modern
Before Islam 
After Islamic Conquest 
Modern
Afghanistan 
Azerbaijan 
Bahrain 
Iran 
Iraq 
Tajikistan 
Uzbekistan 

The Safavids (Persian: صفویان; Azerbaijani: صفوی, Səfəvilər ) were an Iranian[1] Shia dynasty of mixed Azeri[2] and Kurdish[3] origins, which ruled Persia from 1501/1502 to 1722. Safavids established the greatest Iranian empire[4] since the Islamic conquest of Persia, and established the Ithnāˤashari school of Shi'a Islam[5] as the official religion of their empire, marking one of the most important turning points in the history of Islam.

The Safavid dynasty had its origin in the "Safawiyyah" which was established in the city of Ardabil in the Azerbaijan region of Iran. From their base in Ardabil, the Safavids established control over all of Persia and reasserted the Iranian identity of the region[6], thus becoming the first native dynasty since the Sassanids to establish a unified Iranian state.

Despite their demise in 1722, the Safavids have left their mark down to present era by establishing and spreading Shi'a Islam in major parts of the Caucasus and West Asia, especially in Iran.

Background and Origin

Unlike many other dynasties founded by warlords and military chiefs, one of the unique aspects of the Safavids in the post-Islamic Iran was their origin in the Islamic Sufi order called the Safaviyeh. This uniqueness makes the Safavid dynasty comparable to the pre-Islamic Sassanid dynasty, which made Zoroastrianism into an official religion, and whose founders were from a priestly class. It should be noted that the Safaviyeh was not originally Shia but it was from the Shafii branch of Sunni Islam[7][8][9]. The Safavid dynasty was Azerbaijani speaking but their father-line has been classified as Kurdish, Azerbaijani and Arabic by various scholars. Nevertheless, what is certain is that the Safavids were a mixture of ethnic Azerbaijani, Kurdish, and Greek[10] lines. The Safavid Kings themselves claimed to be Seyyeds[11], family descendants of the prophet Muhammad, although many scholars have cast doubt on this claim[12]. There seems now to be a consensus among scholars that the Safavid family hailed from Persian Kurdistan[5], and later moved to Azerbaijan, finally settling in the 5th/11th century at Ardabil. But even before their ascent to political power in the 15th century, the Safavids had become Turkic-speaking and used Azerbaijani Turkish as a medium of communication with their followers[13] as well the official language of their court.

Excerpt from the Safvat Al-Safa, which describes the lineage of Shaykh Safi al-Din as being Kurdish
Excerpt from the Safvat Al-Safa, which describes the lineage of Shaykh Safi al-Din as being Kurdish

Azerbaijani Turkic father-line

According to Lawrence Davidson et al [14]:

“ Even though most Turkish nomads and Persian peasants under the Safavid rule were Sunni, Ismail was determined to unite the country politically and religiously. Within a decade the Safavids, though Turkish by race, had taken control of all of Persia. ”

According to Richard Frye[2],

“ The Turkish speakers of Azerbaijan (q.v.) are mainly descended from the earlier Iranian speakers, several pockets of whom still exist in the region. A massive migration of Oghuz Turks in the 11th and 12th centuries not only Turkified Azerbaijan but also Anatolia. Azeri Turks were the founders of Safavid dynasty ”

Some other scholars have also claimed Azerbaijani origin[15][16][17].

Founding of the dynasty by Shāh Ismāil I

Main article: Ismail I

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The Safavid ruling dynasty was founded by Ismāil, from now known as Shāh Ismāil I.[18] The language used by Shah Ismail is not identical with that of his "race" or "nationality" and he was bilingual at birth[19]. Ismāil was of mixed Turkic, Iranic, and Pontik Greek descent[20], although others speculate that he was non-Turkic[19], and was a direct descendant of Sheikh Safi al-Din. As such, he was the last in the line of hereditary Grand Masters of the Safaviyeh oder, prior to its ascent to a ruling dynasty. Ismāil was a brave and charismatic youth, zealous with regards to his Shi’a faith, and believed himself to be of divine descent. Practically worshipped by his Qizilbāsh followers, Ismāil invaded Shirvan and avenged the death of his father. Afterwards, he went on a conquest campaign, capturing Tabriz in July 1501, where he enthroned himself the Shāh of Azerbaijan[21][22][23] and minted coins in his name, proclaiming Shi’ism the official religion of his domain[5]. Although initially the masters of Azerbaijan only, the Safavids had, in fact, won the struggle for power in Persia which had been going on for nearly a century between various dynasties and political forces. A year after his victory in Tabriz, Ismāil proclaimed most of Persia as his domain[5], and within 10 years established a complete control over all of it, showing extraordinary valor in battle. Ismāil continued to expand his territory adding Hamadan in 1503, Shiraz and Kerman in 1504, Najaf and Karbala in 1507, Van in 1508, Baghdad in 1509, and Herat, as well as other parts of Khorasan, in 1510. By 1511, the Uzbeks in the north-east, led by their Khan Muhammad Shaybāni, were driven across the Oxus River where they continued to attack the Safavids. His decisive victory over the Uzbeks, who had occupied most of Khorasan, ensured Iran’s eastern borders and the Uzbeks never since expanded beyond the Hindukush. Although the Uzbeks continued to make occasional raids to Khorasan, the Safavid empire throughout their whole reign was able to keep them at bay.

Clashes with the Ottomans

Main articles: Battle of Chaldiran and Qizilbash

More problematic for the Safavids was the powerful Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans, a Sunni dynasty, considered the active recruitment of Turkmen tribes of Anatolia for the Safavid cause as a major threat. To counter the rising Safavid power, in 1502, Sultan Bayezid II forcefully deported many Shi'as from Anatolia to other parts of the Ottoman realm. In 1514, Bayezid's son, Sultan Selim I marched through Anatolia and reached the plain of Chaldiran near the city of Khoy, and a decisive war was fought there. Most sources agree that the Ottoman army was at least double the size of that of Ismāil[18], however, what gave the Ottomans the advantage was the artillery which the Safavid army lacked. According to R. M. Savory, "Salim's plan was to winter at Tabriz and complete the conquest of Persia the following spring. However, a mutiny among his officers who refused to spend the winter at Tabriz forced him to withdraw across territory laid waste by the Safavid forces, eight days later"[18]. Although Ismāil was defeated and his capital was captured, the Safavid empire survived. The war between the two powers continued under Ismāil's son, Shāh Tahmāsp I (q.v.), and the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman I, until Shāh Abbās (q.v.) retook the area lost to the Ottomans by 1602.

The consequences of the defeat at Chaldiran were also psychological for Ismāil: the defeat destroyed Ismāil's belief in his invincibility, based on his claimed divine status[5]. His relationships with his Qizilbāsh followers were also fundamentally altered. The tribal rivalries between the Qizilbāsh, which temporarily ceased before the defeat at Chaldiran, resurfaced in intense form immediately after the death of Ismāil, and led to ten years of civil war (930-40/1524-33) until Shāh Tahmāsp regained control of the affairs of the state.

Early Safavid power in Iran was based on the military power of the Qizilbāsh. Ismāil exploited the first element to seize power in Iran. But eschewing politics after his defeat in Chaldiran, he left the affairs of the government to the office of the Wakīl (q.v.). Ismāil's successors, and most ostensibly Shāh Abbās I successfully diminished the Qizilbāsh's influence on the affairs of the state.

Ismāil's poetry

Ismāil is also known for his poetry using the pen-name Khatāī (Arabic خطائی: sinner)[18]. He is considered an important figure in the literary history of Azerbaijani and has left approximately 1400 verses in this language, which he chose to use for political reasons, as most of his followers at the time spoke Turkmen Turkish[19]. Approximately 50 verses of his Persian poetry have also survived. According to Encyclopædia Iranica, "Ismail was a skillful poet who used prevalent themes and images in lyric and didactic-religious poetry with ease and some degree of originality". He was also deeply influenced by the Persian literary tradition of Iran, particularly by the "Shāhnāma" of Ferdowsi, which probably explains the fact that he named all of his sons after Shāhnāma-characters. Dickson and Welch suggest that Ismāil's "Shāhnāmaye Shāhī" was intended as a present to the young Tahmāsp[24]. After defeating Muhammad Shaybāni's Uzbeks, Ismāil asked Hātefī, a famous poet from Jam (Khorasan), to write a Shāhnāma-like epic about his victories and his newly established dynasty. Although the epic was left unfinished, it was an example of mathnawis in the heroic style of the Shāhnāma written later on for the Safavid kings[5].

Legacy

Ismāil's greatest legacy established an enduring empire which lasted over 200 years. Even after the fall of Safavids in 1722, their cultural and political influence endured through the era of Afsharid, Zand, Qajar, and Pahlavi dynasties into the modern Islamic Republic of Iran, where Shi’a Islam is still the official religion as it was during the Safavids.

Political scene in Persia prior to Ismāil's rule

After the decline of the Timurid Empire (1370–1506), there were many local states prior to the Iranian state established by Ismāil.[25] The most important local rulers about 1500 were:

Ismāil was able to unite all these lands under the Iranian Empire he created.

Safavid Shahs of Iran

Shah Ismail I, the founder of the Safavid State. Medieval European rendering
Shah Ismail I, the founder of the Safavid State. Medieval European rendering

Safavi Line

Kulliye-Safavi Line

From his descendants come the noble dynasty of Bigvand Kulyai[1]( Beghvan Külliye)Kurdistan region of Iran Songur-Kolyai. Surviving execution attempts by Abbas II and escaping from captivity

Marashi-Safavi Line

Safavi Line

Marashi-Safavi Line

Sultani-Safavi Line

Unknown House (Probably Qajar-Safavi)

Sultani-Safavi Line

Unknown-Sultani-Safavi Line

  • Mohammad Shah 1786 He married the daughter of Ismail III and was installed by Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar Quyunlu. From his descendants come the Beys of Tunisia (through his daughter).

Source of Data: Royalark

Sabalan

For the Iranian Frigate Sabalan see: Iranian frigate Sabalan.

Sabalan (in Persian سبلان Sabalân ;also called Sāvālān in Azerbaijani) is an inactive stratovolcano in Ardabil province. Sabalan is the third highest mountain in Iran and a permanent crater lake has formed at the summit. Sabalan has a ski resort (Alvares) and different tourist areas such as the Sarein spa. The mountain is known for its beautiful vistas, including the Shirvan gorge, where few climbers ever venture.

Crater lake of Sabalan

Aras River

The Aras (also known as Araks, Arax, Araxi, Araxes, Araz, or Yeraskh; Armenian: Արաքս, Persian: ارس, Turkish: Aras, Azerbaijani: Araz, Kurdish: Aras or Araz; Russian: Аракс) is a river located in and along the countries of Turkey, Armenia, Iran, and Azerbaijan. Its total length is 1,072 kilometers (665 miles). Given its length and a basin that covers an area of 102,000 km², it is one of the largest rivers of the Caucasus.

Sarein

Sarein or Sareyn is a small city near Ardabil in the northwest of Iran. Its geographic coordinates are 38°09′N 48°04′E. Sarein is very famous because of its hot springs. The population is about 8000, and increases to more than 20000 in the summer because of the many tourists who go there due to the charming climate. It stands 28 km from Ardabil and total area is 1280000 meter-square. sarein springs is near inactive valcano in that area and have been created after local earthquakes (recently in 1990s)and its water contains sulfur particles and it is believed that it is good for bone pains.

The word Sarein in the Azari dictionary means "Spring".

The climate and hot springs are the first attractions to tourists who travel to this region from different parts of Iran and the world.

Colleges and universities

Ardabil University of Medical Sciences
Mohaghegh Ardabili University
Islamic Azad University of Ardabil
Payam Noor University of Ardabil
Soureh University of Ardabil
Islamic Azad University of Khalkhal

Famous Ardabilis

The mausoleum of Sheikh Safi-ad-Din-e-Ardabili
The mausoleum of Sheikh Safi-ad-Din-e-Ardabili

Clergy&Religious:

Sport:

Art&Music:

Scientist:

Poet& Writer:

Politicians and reformists:

چو بهرام ورهام اردبیلی، گشسب دیلمی,شاپور گیلی