East Azarbaijan Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is located in Iranian Āzerbāijān , bordering with Armenia, Republic of Āzerbăijān , Ardabil, West Āzerbāijān , and Zanjān Provinces. The capital of East Āzerbāijān is Tabriz. The province covers an area of approximately 47,830 km2, with the historical city of Tabriz as the most important city of Tabriz as the most important city of this province, culturally, politically, and commercially.

The province has common borders with the current Republics of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Nakhchivan. A fine network of roads and railways connect East Āzerbaijan to other parts of Iran and neighboring countries. The highest peak of East Āzerbāijān is Sahand Mountain at 3,722 m elevation, lying south of Tabriz. East Azerbāijān enjoys a cool, dry climate, being in the main mountainous region. But the gentle breezes off the Caspian Sea have some influence on the climate of the low areas.

Temperatures run up to 8.9 °C in Tabriz, and 20 °C in Maraqeh, in the winter drops to 10 to 15 °C at least. The ideal seasons to visit this province are spring and summer. East Āzerbāijān is one of the most Ancient territories in Iran. During the reign of Alexander of Macedon in Iran (331 BCE), a warrior known as Attorpat led a revolt, then it was a territory of the Medes, and thereafter called Attorpatkan. Islamic researchers proclaim that the birth of the prophet Zoroaster was in this area, near Lake Orumieh (Chichesht), Konzak City. The most outstanding features of East Azarbayjan culture is language of Azari/Azerice, and folklore of this region.

Apart from this, the province also boasts numerous learned scholars, Gnostics and several national poets such as contemporary poet Ostad Mohammad Hossein Shahriyar.

The current leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is originally from this region. Iran’s Cultural Heritage Organization has registered 936 sites of historical significance in the province. Some are contemporary, and some are from the antiquity of ancient Persia. “Zahak Citadel”, for example, is the name of an ancient ruin in East Azerbāijān, which according to various experts, was inhabited from the second millennium BC until the Timurid era. East Āzerbāijān enjoys a rich compendium of Azeri traditions.

Many local dances and folk songs continue to survive among the various peoples of the province. As a longstanding province of Iran, Azerbāijān is mentioned favorably on many occasions in Persian literature by greatest authors and poets.

Reference: Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts & Tourism Organization of Iran, Iran Travel guide. Iran: 2018