TEHRAN – On Thursday, the Iranian tourism minister Ezzatollah Zarghami attended the inauguration ceremonies of a 4-start hotel and a boutique hotel during his visit to Tabriz.The six-story Royal Palace Hotel and a fully restored luxurious house of a 19th-century merchant were opened to the public during the ceremonies, CHTN reported.Tabriz is a perfect introduction to Iran for sightseers crossing over the border from Armenia, or through the Gurbulak Bazargan border from Turkey.It became the capital of the Mongol Il-Khan Mahmud Gazan (1295–1304) and his successor.

Timur (Tamerlane), a Turkic conqueror, took it in 1392.

Some decades later, the Kara Koyunlu Turkmen made it their capital.

It was when the famous Blue Mosque was built in the ancient city.Tabriz retained its administrative status under the Safavid dynasty until 1548, when Shah Tahmasp I relocated his capital westward to Qazvin.

During the next two centuries, Tabriz changed hands several times between Persia and the Ottoman Empire.

During World War I, the city was temporarily occupied by Turkish and then Soviet troops.Downtown Tabriz is very walkable, and the people are also extremely friendly, something not particularly common in big cities.AFM