|
|
|
|
|
East AzarbaijanIntroduction East Azarbaijan (Persian: آذربایجان شرقی, Āzarbāyjān-e Sarqi) is one of the 30 provinces of Iran. It is in the north-west of the country, bordering Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, and the provinces of Ardabil, West Azarbaijan, and Zanjan. Its center is Tabriz. Geography The province covers an area of approximately 47,830 sq. km. According to the latest divisions of the country in 1996 the various townships of this province are: Ahar, Bostan Abad, Bonab, Tabriz, Jolfa, Sarab, Shabestar, Kalibar, Maraqeh, Marand, Malekan, Mianeh, Haris, and Hashtrood. The historical city of Tabriz is the reputed city of this province culturally and politically, even in the economic and commercial fields. The province has common borders with the current Republics of Azarbaijan, Armenia and Nakhjavan. A fine network of roads and railways connect East Azarbaijan to other parts of Iran and also to neighboring countries. The highest peak of East Azarbaijan is Sahand Mountain at 3,722 m. in elevation lying south of Tabriz, whereas the lower lying areas can be said to be around Garmadooz (Ahar). The heights of the province can be classified into three sectors namely, the Qara Daq Mountains, the Sahand and Bozqoosh Mountains, and the Qaflan Kooh Mountains. Generally, East Azarbaijan enjoys a cold and dry climate, being mainly a mountainous region. But the gentle vapors of the Caspian Sea have some influence on the climate of the lower lying areas. Temperatures run up to 8.9 C in Tabriz, till 20 C in Maraqeh and in winters drop to -1 C . The ideal seasons to visit this province are in spring and summer months. History and Culture East Azarbaijan is one of the more archaic territories in Iran. During the reign of Alexander the Macedonian in Iran (331 BC), one of the warriors, known as Attorpat revolted in this area, then a territory of the Medes, thereby naming it Attorpatkan. Since then this vicinity has been known as Azarabadegan, Azarbadgan and Azarbayjan. Islamic researchers proclaim that the birth of the Zoroaster was in this area, in the vicinity of Lake Orumieh (Chichesht), Konzak city. Needless to say, this province was subject to numerous political and economical upheavals bringing about the interest of foreigners. The Russians in particular have tried to have a lasting influence in the region in the past 300 years, occupying the area on numerous occasions. The constitutionalist movement of Iran began from here in the late 1800s. The most outstanding features from a cultural point of view is the language and folklore of this region. The language is Azari. Apart from this the province also boasts numerous learned scholars, gnostics, several national poets such as Mowlana Baba Mazeed, Khajeh Abdol Raheem Aj Abadi, Sheikh Hassan Bolqari, and Abdolqader Nakhjavani to name a few and the contemporary poet Ostad Mohammad Hossein Shahriyar. The currnet leader of Iran, also originally comes from this region. Iran's Cultural Heritage Organization has registered 936 sites of historical significance in the province. East Azarbaijan today East Azarbaijan province is an industrial centre of Iran. East Azarbaijan province has over 5000 manufacturing units of which at least 800 are industrial (6% percent of Iran). The value of product from these units in 1997 totalled $374 million. (373 Billion Rials = 4.07% of Iran). Total investments were valued at $2.7 Billion (2451.3 Billion Rial) in 1997.1 Some of the major industries include Azar Glass Industries, marageh paper manufacturing, Ahar songun copper and naphelin synanite, the Tabriz oil refinery and petrochemical complex, Tabriz Tractor Manufacturing Co., Azarbaijan Steel, foundry and auto part manufacturing, foods industries, leather and shoe industry, and the Tabriz machine manufacturing Co. Tabriz also has an excellent position in the handcraft industry of Iran, having a large share in the exports of the province. Tabriz rugs are well known in the world and in international markets due to their designs and coloring. Without exaggeration Persian rugs owe their fame to the creative minds of the designers and golden hands of the carpet weavers in East Azarbaijan. At present there are about 66 thousand carpet production units in the province, employing around 200,000 people. The annual production of these carpets is roughly 792,000 m2, which comprises more than 70% of carpet exports of Iran. 35% all carpets in Iran are produced by East Azarbaijan. East Azarbaijan province is also one of the richest regions of Iran in natural minerals with 180 mines operating in 1997, of which 121 units are currently being used, and the rest are being planned. East Azarbaijan also has some of Iran's best technical universities. The full list of the major institutions are: - Sahand University of Technology
- Tabriz University of Medical Sciences
- Tabriz University of Tarbiat Moallem
- University of Tabriz (website)
- Islamic Azad University of Bonab
- Islamic Azad University of Tabriz
- Islamic Azad University of Shabestar
- Islamic Azad University of Maragheh
- Islamic Azad University of Miyaneh
- Tabriz Islamic Arts University
External links 1: According to the information released by the office of the provincial governor, linked above.
|
 |
|
| Copyright 2005-2009 OnPedia.com. All Rights Reserved |
|
|