Iranian Azerbaijan

Iranian Azerbaijan (Persian and Azerbaijani: آذربایجان) is in the extreme northwest of Iran, by the border with the country and former Soviet Republic of Azerbaijan.

Provincial capitals

 * - capital of Ardabil province.
 * — the biggest economic hub of Northwestern Iran, the most populated city in Iranian Azerbaijan, and the capital of East Azerbaijan province.
 * — capital of West Azerbaijan province.
 * - capital of Zanjan province.

Other major cities

 * Jolfa - Border town with Nakhchivan exclave of Azerbaijan, but also a good base to visit the Armenian churches and the Aras Valley
 * - A good base for seeing the spectacular Babak Castle, and the Aras River Valley
 * - A good base for seeing the spectacular Babak Castle, and the Aras River Valley


 * — a border town, and the hub for visiting the Chapel of Dzordzor
 * — known as the capital of batik in Iran.
 * — Takht-e Soleyman, a Zoroastrian fire temple and a UNESCO World Heritage site, is nearby
 * — known as the capital of batik in Iran.
 * — Takht-e Soleyman, a Zoroastrian fire temple and a UNESCO World Heritage site, is nearby
 * — Takht-e Soleyman, a Zoroastrian fire temple and a UNESCO World Heritage site, is nearby
 * — Takht-e Soleyman, a Zoroastrian fire temple and a UNESCO World Heritage site, is nearby
 * — Takht-e Soleyman, a Zoroastrian fire temple and a UNESCO World Heritage site, is nearby

Other destinations

 * - A scenic valley on the northern border with stepped villages, mountain scenery, and ancient tombs
 * — A small village with houses carved in the rocks like in Cappadocia, Turkey

Understand
Iranian Azerbaijan is traditionally inhabited by Azeris, speaking a Turkic language, and Kurds, speaking an Iranian language. The region's formation in its current borders dates back to Turkmanchay Treaty of 1828. By that treaty, the boundary between the Russian Empire and Persia was set at the Aras River, and Persia ceded to Russia the control of several Azeri areas in the South Caucasus, which is now an independent country known as the Republic of Azerbaijan. Despite being a minority, the Azeri population in Iran is larger than the population of independent Azerbaijan. Despite sharing a common cultural and linguistic heritage, due to centuries of separation under different political systems, the Azeris of Iran tend to be more conservative and religious than those of independent Azerbaijan.

This region, especially eastern parts of it, is probably one of the most beautiful places in Iran. The region is known for its friendly people, and also known for the great food.

Iranian Azerbaijan is comprised of four provinces: Ardabil, Zanjan, East Azerbaijan and West Azerbaijan.

Talk
The people of Iranian Azerbaijan are bilingual in both Persian and Azeri. The Azeri language in Iran tends to have more influence from Persian, in contrast to the stronger influence from Russian in independent Azerbaijan.

International airport
Tabriz International Airport is the only international airport in Iranian Azerbaijan. It has flights to some Iranian cities and to neighboring countries.



By car
By the bridge over the Urmia lake Tabriz is reachable from Urmia in 1.5 hours.

By train
Some of the Iranian Azerbaijan cities have access to the railway includingː Tabriz, Maraghe, Salmas, and Jolfa.

By bus
There are bus lines from Provincial Capitals: Tabriz, Ardabil, Urmia, and Zanjan to major Iranian cities. There are minibus lines for connecting the smaller cities to the provincial capitals of Iranian Azerbaijan.

See

 * The UNESCO World Heritage site Armenian Monastic Ensembles of Iran. It consists of three 7th century Armenian Christian buildings in the region — the monasteries of St. Thaddeus, St. Stepanos and the Chapel of Dzordzor.

Eat

 * Bonanb Kabab, a big skewer kabab with ingredient of local spices, onion and beef. It is named after city Bonab in south of Tabriz.
 * Chelo-Kabab, a dish of rice with ground beef kabab.
 * Kofte-e-Tabrizi, a big meatball with ingredient of ground beef, rice, and herbs.
 * Lighvan cheese, a domestic feta cheese from Liqvan village in south east of Tabriz.

Respect
The various respect tips found in the respect section of the Azerbaijan article will come in handy.