“Love is travel. All travelers whether they want to or not are changed. No one can travel into love and remain the same” – Shams Tabrizi.
Rumi’s closest friend and confidante, Shams Tabriz is perhaps one of the most famous sons of the ancient city of Tabriz, a vibrant city in northwestern Iran. Located on the ancient silk route, Tabriz is the capital of the east Azerbaijan province and close to the border with Turkey.
We left Tehran at 8am, driving 650kms straight to Tabriz. The landscape was rugged yet picture perfect. Iron, copper deposits on the brown mountains created colours I had only seen in Peru on the rainbow mountains. As we drove on, the air became cooler, drier and by the time we reached our hotellate in the evening, there was a cool yet strong breeze, which for me was a refreshing change from the summer heat of Iran.
Amir, our most fun and energetic guide in Iran was in the car with Tushar and I, making the car journey go so very quickly with stories about his life in Iran. He tried very hard to teach us some Farsi quotes, Sobh bekheyr – good morning, mamnoon – thank you, Ashe-ghe-tam – I love you etc. etc.We tried to teach him some Bollywood tunes in return! Fair exchange I thought…
A minor scrap with some rash drivers on the highway damaged the wing mirror of car #10. Drivers on Iranian highways drive fast, change lanes frequently without signalingand on occasion forget to switch on their headlights too! No major damage and the wing mirror was fixed after we arrived at the hotel the same night.
The evening we arrived in Tabriz, we celebrated another birthday. Milind Dattar, our fellow traveler from Nasik, is one of the kindest, warmest and sweetest people I have met on my travels. Due to this being the first month of the Islamic calendar and the mourning period of Moharram, we gave Milind sir a quiet little party, with a birthday song in Persian, English and Hindi, fancy hats and sparklers to celebrate the day. Amir and Tushar organized a chocolate vanilla cake from the local bakery which was perfect for our little celebration.
Plan for our final day in Iran was a visit to the grand bazar of Tabriz and an evening stroll thru Kandovan village an hour’s drive from the city.
The grand bazar of Tabriz is in the heart of this 2,500-year-oldcity. Once a major stop on the old silk route, travelling from China, thru the caucuses and on to Istanbul, it is a sprawling brick vaulted complex selling carpets, spices and jewelry. The central square of the Bazar is where caravanserais were erected to serve traders travelling on this route.
Amir mentioned the grand bazar is the largest covered bazar in the world. We had only 2 hours and lots to see. We walked thru the jewelry market, admiring the many gold, precious stone wares with much interest. I swear I saw some copies of Cartier and DeBeers designs too!
We quickly walked on to the market we were most interested in visiting. The spice market. All kinds of spices, nuts, delectable Iranian and Arabic sweets were on offer here. The traders were eager to sell and made us sample the many products on offer. We tried almonds, pistachio’s, sesame candies, Turkish delights, rose flavoured halva and so many more delicacies.
But the saffron shop was the highlight. 20 Indians shopping in a 10-meter space was very much the essence of what this bazar is about! Every one of us bought one of Iran’s most famous spices, Saffron, to take home as gifts.
On our way from the spice market to the carpet market, Amir introduced us to what was, at least in my opinion, one of the best street foods I have eaten.
The Yeralma Yumurta – Persian for Egg and potato roll. Fresh lavash bread, mashed with butter, baked potato, boiled egg, dressed with a homemade spice mix, salad greens, tomato and pickled gherkins, it was just the perfect combination of simplicity and flavour. Nothing fried, all fresh and extremely satisfying!
Tabriz is most famous for its handicrafts especially woven rugs. The grand carpet hall in the bazar, with its high vaulted ceiling laid out in a very geometric pattern is magnificent to behold. Piles of beautiful carpets lay on the floor. Intricate woven designs, depicting scenes from European or Arabic traditions, floral patterns, traditional Persian designs in a myriad of colours and pile depths. One particular design in muted blues and greys caught my fancy. An eye watering $20,000 was the asking price. Alas, the carpet will remain just in my thoughts for now!
Some useful links:
The Jasmine trails 
Loved the quote! Recipe is interesting, might try making it with paneer instead of eggs for kids school lunch! Did you try the rose flavored halva? How was it? Thank you for sharing your travels, it’s like reading an engrossing book which takes you on a journey with you!
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Thanks Keshu 😘😘😘😘. Yes. Tried the rose foavoured halva and also rose flavoured sesame crackers! It was as delicious as you can imagine 😘😘😘
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