Tabriz registered as first Shia capital on Iran’s National Heritage List
Tehran Times Culture Desk

TEHRAN -- Tabriz was registered as the first Shia capital of the Islamic world on the Iran’s National Heritage List on Thursday.

The registration ceremony was held in Tabriz during the visit of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which was also attended by the director of the Cultural Heritage Tourism and Handicraft Organization Hamid Baqaii.

Tabriz is the fourth largest city in Iran and the capital of East Azerbaijan Province in northwestern Iran. It was one of Iran’s former capitals and the residence of the crown prince under the Qajar dynasty.

Tabriz is home to many monuments dating back from the Ilkhanid period to the Safavid and the Qajar eras.

Tabriz was captured by the founder of the Safavid dynasty, Shah Ismail I, from the Uzbek-Turkmen tribal confederation of Aq Qoyunlu in 1501. He declared the city his capital and later he proclaimed Shia the state religion.

   Print Version     |        Back    |     Send To Friend