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 by being hurled from the top of the citadel walls. The Russians used it as a command post during their 1911 invasion. Unfortunately, it's being dwarfed by the even more humongous Imam Khomeini Mosalla being built next door and the whole area is presently closed off.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.55 MILES
The magnificent, labyrinthine, Unesco-listed Tabriz bazaar covers some 7 sq km, with 24 caravanserais (sets of rooms arrranged around a courtyard) and 22…
0.66 MILES
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…
0.58 MILES
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…
1.11 MILES
Poet Ostad Shahriyar is ostentatiously commemorated by the strikingly modernist Poets’ Mausoleum. Its angular, interlocking concrete arches are best…
5.55 MILES
Elgoli Park, 8km southeast of the centre, is popular with summer strollers and courting couples. Its fairground surrounds an artificial lake, in the…
0.4 MILES
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…
Architecture Faculty, Islamic Arts University
0.32 MILES
A trio of impressive 230-year-old mansions with two-storey colonnades, inner courtyards and decorative ponds makes up the Architecture Faculty of the…
0.07 MILES
This stadium-sized mosalla (prayer hall) has been under construction forever and the sporadic works have been blamed for undermining the foundations of…
Nearby attractions
0.07 MILES
This stadium-sized mosalla (prayer hall) has been under construction forever and the sporadic works have been blamed for undermining the foundations of…
0.17 MILES
Behind high gates, the curious Anglican Church has a tower of four diminishing cylinders.
0.31 MILES
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…
4. Architecture Faculty, Islamic Arts University
0.32 MILES
A trio of impressive 230-year-old mansions with two-storey colonnades, inner courtyards and decorative ponds makes up the Architecture Faculty of the…
0.35 MILES
The relatively central Sarkis Church serves the Armenian community. It’s hidden in a basketball court behind high white gates.
0.38 MILES
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…
0.4 MILES
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…
0.45 MILES
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…