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Aredebil Ardebil in altitude of 1 ,300 meters , 210 km N-W of Bandar-e Anzali , 70 km from Astara on a mediocre coast road then a twisting mountain track. 260 km E of Tabriz via Ahar or 220 vis Sarab.
It is surrounded by endless expanses of sheep-grazing ground without tree , snow-covered until April. Hamlets which can hardly be called villages try to shelter from the wind in hollows in the plateau. The houses are the same color as the ground and there are more conic stacks of dung mixed with straw (the only fuel used there other than human dwellings).
Historical precedence of this city dates back to the Parthian period. Ardebil was conquered by Islamic army in 22 A.H. (642 A.D.) and became the center of Azerbaijan in Bani-Omayyeh period during 33-41 A.H. (653-661 A.D.). Mongol's attack destructed this city in 617 A.H. (1220 A.D.). | Tavernier , the famous French tourist said that: This city is famous for two reasons: First , for the silk trade and being Gilan's neighbor , and second for the mausoleum of Sheykh Safi-ed-Din-e-Ardebil. This township is one of the frosty areas in Iran and can be frosty for 5 to 8 months a year. It rains during all seasons but the most in autumn and spring. Ardebil is one of the agricultural and economic centers of Azarbayejan-e-Sharqi , but from the industrial point of view has not developed and its handicraft. |
| Important places :Mosque of Mausoleum of Shikh Safi"
When the snows start melting , people are seized by a kind of fever. Men and animals leave their shelters. The village-dwellers use sharp blades to speed the breaking up of drift-ice on the rivers. As soon as a few square yards of pebbles show up , sheep are put out to graze. On donkey or horseback , according to their condition , the peasants go to reconnoiter. Landowners use binoculars to supervise this tidying-up operations , a revival after a long period of hibernation. Bulldozers and lorries start work while camels , a strange sight , wallow in the mud and soft snow. superb and disdainful , carry large loads of dry straw.
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 | "Mosque of Mausoleum of Shikh Safi" |
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