Ardabil Province

Iran / Ardabil / Meshkinshahr /
 province, first-level administrative division, draw only border
Ardabil (also Ardebil, Persian: اردبیل, Azeri: Ərdəbil, Old Persian: Artavil) is one of the 30 provinces of Iran, located in the northwestern part of the country. It borders the Republic of Azerbaijan and the provinces of East Azarbaijan, Zanjan, and Gilan. Its center is the city of Ardabil. Ardabil was established in 1993 by separation of eastern part of East Azarbaijan provinces (mainly) and northern part of Gilan.

The history of Ardabil has close connections to that of Azarbaijan. The origins of the city of Ardabil dates back to about 4000 to 6000 years ago (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 province is believed to be as old as the Achaemenid era. It is mentioned in the Avesta, where Zoroaster was born by the river Aras and wrote his book in the Sabalan Mountains. During the Islamic conquest of Iran, Ardabil was the largest city in Azarbaijan, and remained so until the Mongol invasion period. Shah Ismail I (1487 - 1524) started his campaign to reunite Iran from here, but consequently announced Tabriz as his capital in 1500. Despite that, Ardabil remained an important city both politically and economically until modern times.

Ardabil has many hot springs and beautiful natural landscapes and these attracts tourists. The mineral springs of Ardabil are Beele-Darreh, Sareyn, Sardabeh and Booshloo and are famous for their medicinal qualities throughout Iran. It has also many beautiful lakes: the largest of which are Ne'or, Shoorabil, 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 Shoorabil 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 Shoorabil.

Ardabil is the seat of the sanctuary and tomb of Shaikh Safî ad-Dîn, eponym of the Safavid Dynasty. Other significant historical monuments are, the mausoleum of Sheikh Jebra'il located 2 km north of Ardabil, the old but always lively bazaar, 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.

Meshkin Shahr is another old city in Ardabil Province. It is located west of Adabil city and is the nearest city to the Sabalan mountain. It has a moderate mountainous weather. Some of the tourist attractions of Meshkin Shahr are, Hot water springs of Moiel, Eelando and Qaynarja located in the suburb of the city, Qara Soo River Sides, Water spring of Qotur Suie, Old Castle of Meshkin Shahr, Qahqaheh castle, Deev castle, Old cemetery, Tomb of Sheykh Haydar in Meshkin Shahr and Imamzadeh Seyyed Soleyman.
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ardabīl_Province
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   38°24'57"N   47°58'1"E

Comments

  • Polygon by shbn.
  • Double-lined polygon corrected by shbn.
  • Photo #5 from http://cid-1c9178d1337ceb07.spaces.live.com/blog/
  • Photo #6 from cid-1c9178d1337ceb07.spaces.live.com/blog/
  • LONG LIVE ARTAVIL !!