Must-see attractions in Tabriz

The magnificent, labyrinthine, Unesco-listed Tabriz bazaar covers some 7 sq km, with 24 caravanserais (sets of rooms arrranged around a courtyard) and 22…

When constructed for ruler Jahan Shah in 1465, the Blue Mosque with its intricate turquoise mosaics was one of the most famous buildings of its era…

This museum's entrance is a great brick portal with big wooden doors guarded by two stone rams. Ground-floor exhibits include finds from Hasanlu (an Iron…

This huge brick edifice off Imam Khomeini St is a chunky remnant of Tabriz’ early-14th-century citadel (known as ‘the Ark’). Criminals were once executed…

Poet Ostad Shahriyar is ostentatiously commemorated by the strikingly modernist Poets’ Mausoleum. Its angular, interlocking concrete arches are best…

Elgoli Park, 8km southeast of the centre, is popular with summer strollers and courting couples. Its fairground surrounds an artificial lake, in the…

Enter a time warp to late-'70s Tabriz in the preserved house of much-loved poet Ostad Shahriyar (1906–88). Surrounded by his everyday belongings, you…

A trio of impressive 230-year-old mansions with two-storey colonnades, inner courtyards and decorative ponds makes up the Architecture Faculty of the…

This stadium-sized mosalla (prayer hall) has been under construction forever and the sporadic works have been blamed for undermining the foundations of…

The iconic 1930s German-designed Municipal Hall, still the bastion of city power, dominates Sa'at Sq. There's a museum in the basement with various city…

At the bazaar’s western end an exit passage hidden by a curtain leads to Tabriz’ impressive Seljuk-era Masjed-e Jameh, with a magnificent brick-vaulted…

The surefire way locals protect themselves against inflation is with a chunk of the yellow stuff from the jewellery section of the Tabriz bazaar.

The elegant Qajar Museum is within the palatial 1881 Amir Nezam House, Tabriz’ most impressive Qajar mansion, with a split-level façade.

One of the best in Iran, Tabriz' spice bazaar has a huge selection of dried herbs, spices, natural remedies and henna.

The sound of hammers echoes through the laneways of the photogenic coppersmith section of the Tabriz bazaar.

Inside the Tabriz bazaar, the mozaffarieh is one of the best places in Iran to buy a carpet.

This charming Qajar-era (1868) courtyard house is historically significant as a headquarters during the 1906–11 constitutional revolution, but, although…

The measurement museum is hidden down a small, walled alley in a beautifully restored 160-year-old Qajar mansion. Skip it if you're not into rococo German…

Dating from the 12th century, St Mary’s is a still-functioning Armenian church that was mentioned by Marco Polo. It was once the seat of the regional…

The most intriguing exhibit here is the scripture-covered undershirt worn by Qajar monarchs during coronations. The museum is housed in the well…