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Shiraz (Persian: شیراز Shiraz) is the fifth most populated city in Iran and the capital of Fars Province. Shiraz is located in the southwest of Iran on the Rudkhaneye Khoshk seasonal river (29°37′N 52°32′E) and has a moderate climate and has been a regional trade center for more than a thousand years.

The earliest reference to the city, as Tirazis, is on Elamite clay tablets dated to 2000 BC. In the 13th century, Shiraz became a leading center of the arts and letters, thanks to the encouragement of its ruler and the presence of many Persian scholars and artists. Shiraz was the capital of Persia during the Zand dynasty from 1750 until 1781, as well as briefly during the Saffarid period.

Shiraz is known as the city of poets, wine and flowers. It is also considered by many Iranians to be the city of gardens, due to the many gardens and fruit trees that can be seen in the city. Shiraz has had major Jewish and Christian communities. The crafts of Shiraz consist of inlaid mosaic work of triangular design; silver-ware; pile carpet-weaving and weaving of kilim, called gilim and jajim in the villages and among the tribes.

In Shiraz industries such as cement production, sugar, fertilizers, textile products, wood products, metalwork and rugs dominate. Shirāz also has a major oil refinery and is also a major center for Iran’s electronic industries: 53% of Iran’s electronic investment has been centered in Shiraz.

The city of Lalejin in Hamedan (Persian: همدان) Province, [Coordinates: 34°48′N 48°31′E] with a population of 55,000, lies 20 kilometers northwest of the provincial city of Hamedan and is considered one of the leading ceramic centers of Iran.
Hamedan is the capital city of Hamadan Province of Iran. It had an estimated population of 550,284 (in 2005) and is believed to be among the oldest Iranian cities and one of the oldest in the world.

Hamadan has a green mountainous area in the foothills of the 3574-meter Alvand Mountain, in the midwest part of Iran. The city is 1850 meters above sea level. According to archaeologists and historians, this ceramic producing city has a long historical record dating back 7500 years to ancient Persia, as revealed by excavations in recent years at Ecbatana Hill, Gyan in Nahavand and Nushijan in Malayer in Hamedan Province.
During the invasion of Mongols, only seven craftsmen survived the barbaric onslaught and these artisans managed to revive the ceramics industry once again.



As you stroll through the ancient city, you see how people from all walks of life are heavily involved in their ancestors’ tradition of creating works of art.
The majority of local residents earn their bread and butter from this craft ranging from utensils to decorative items.
The Khoshuei Brothers are among the outstanding artisans of Lalejin who have created the most significant works of art over the last half a century.These craftsmen not only have preserved the traditional Persian arts but also have introduced a number of innovations themselves.



Most foreign and domestic tourists are enthusiastic to purchase local handicrafts such as ceramics, leather products, traditional Iranian glasses, kilims, wooden crafts and a variety of other traditional items.
Deputy Director of the Hamedan Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization, Behjat Abbasi said, “With 900 workshops and 3900 employees, Lalejin is the capital city of ceramics in Iran.”

According to the official, pottery production in recent years has undergone a process of major change, including changes in coloring compounds both in traditional and industrial paintings, and the introduction of modern furnaces to replace the traditional ones.”

Tabriz (Persian: تبریز, Azerbaijani: تبریز) is the largest city in northwestern Iran – (38°04′N 46°18′E). It is situated north of the volcanic cone of Sahand, south of the Eynali mountain. It is the capital of East Azarbaijan Province. Tabriz lies at the junction of the Komur River (Mehran River) and the Aji River.

The founding of Tabriz is shrouded in mystery and myth. Various sources name the city as the possible site of the Biblical Garden of Eden.

According to some sources, including Encyclopedia Britannica, the name Tabriz derives from “tap-riz” (“causing heat to flow” in Iranian languages), from the many thermal springs in the area. Other sources claim that in A.D. 246, to avenge his brother’s death, king Khosraw I of Armenia defeated Ardashir I of the Sassanid Empire and changed the name of the city from Shahistan to Tauris, deriving from “ta-vrezh” (“this revenge” in Grabar). In A.D. 297, it became the capital of Tiridates III, king of Armenia.

Tabriz was the city where the Constitutional Revolution of Iran started in 1906 and where its leaders, Sattar Khan and Bagher Khan came from. An American who died defending the Constitutional Revolution, Howard Baskerville, is buried in Tabriz.

Tabriz City Hall, built in 1934, by Arfa’ol molk

Because of the location of Tabriz (as a gate to the west for Iran), many signs of modern life in Iran have first appeared in this city. Because of this, Iranians have described Tabriz as a “City of firsts”.
These include:

• The first printing house of Iran was founded in Tabriz (1811).
• The first modern school of Iran was founded in Tabriz by Hassan Roshdieh (1888). The language of instruction was Persian and Azari Turkish.
• The first Iranian special school for deaf children was founded in Tabriz by Jabbar Baghcheban (1924).
• The first Iranian special school for blind students was founded in Tabriz by a German mission (1926).
• The first Iranian kindergarten was founded in Tabriz by Jabbar Baghcheban (1923).
• The first modern-style municipality and city hall in Iran were founded in Tabriz.
• Tabriz Chamber of Commerce was the first of its kind founded in Iran (1906).
• The first public libraries in modern Iran were founded in Tabriz.
• The first movie theater in Iran was founded in Tabriz (1900). Also the first movie theater in Tehran was founded by a Tabrizi (1921).
• Tabriz was the first city in Iran that got a Telephone system (about 1900).

The famous Iranian historian, Ahmad Kasravi, was born in a nearby village called Hokmavar.
Samad Behrangi, a famous writer and musicians, as well as Ali Salimi, Vahid Houseini, and Bigjeh-Khani were Tar (lute) specialists from this city.

Constitutionalists of Tabriz.
The two men in the center are Sattar Khan & Bagher Khan

After World War II, the communist Azerbaijan People’s Government in North Western Iran established with its capital at Tabriz. The new communist government, under the leadership of Jafar Pishevari, held power for a year from 1946 to 1947.

With a population of 1,600,000, Tabriz is Iran’s Fourth largest city, after Tehran, Mashhad and Esfahan.