Travel Guide Ardebil

Ardebil is a medium-sized town (650 000 inhabitants of Azéris majority), with a charming vaulted bazaar, a splendid mausoleum and a pleasant situation. A stopover of charm, greenery and history, close to the Caspian Sea and Azerbaijan. The city is known for its silky fabrics and carpets. Capital of the eponymous province, it was built on the mountain foothills of the Sabalan in the heart of a plateau at 1 310 m altitude. It is less than kilometres away from Azerbaijan and allows to plunge into Azerbaijani culture. In the streets, a few women are held in the traditional dress of superimposed petticoats and a flowery shawl on their shoulders. Iranian Azerbaijan is also an important agricultural centre due to the relatively high level of rainfall. Fruit trees adapted to the temperate climate (pear and apple trees in particular) proliferate. Historically, the name Ardebil stems directly from a fire term mentioned in the Avesta, meaning literally «sacred place». Archaeologists have regained traces of a human presence dating back to the th century BC. The city is a pilgrimage site due to the presence of the Sheikh Mausoleum Safi-Din Ardabili (1252-1334), the extremely revered Sufi spiritual leader in the region. Son will marry the daughter of Shah Uzun Hasan Akkoyunlu (1441-1478) who will give him a son, Ismail, founder of the Safavide Dynasty (1503-1722).