Our travel guide is full of tips for Tabriz. We could spend weeks here. And yet we want to move on. The country is big, the south (and the heat) is calling and our visa is only valid for 90 days.
We drive into the city one last time. We stroll through the bazaar one last time - we can't get enough of it -, munch on Iranian street food and stroll through the shopping street. Which we don't actually like that much.
We buy the essentials from street vendors and in small shops and finally, finally our first Iranian dates. While we were already in love with dates in Tunisia, the flavour of Persian dates really beats everything. Sweet like honey and caramel. Soft like Nidletäfeli and we are immediately addicted. Addicted to Persian dates from the south of Iran.
Oh yes, Tabriz. As soon as I'm eating, I digress.
The Blue Mosque, which is actually called Masjed-e Kabud, was built in 1465 by order of Chatun Jan Begun, the wife of the leader of the Turkmen tribal federation. During his reign in the so-called Empire of the Black Mutton, he called himself Jahan Shah. His empire, with Tabriz as its capital, extended over large parts of modern-day Iran, Azerbaijan and Turkey.
The building complex with the large dome was completed in the 1480s and included a school, a public bath and a library. An earthquake in 1779 destroyed all the buildings except for parts of the mosque.
The southern part, which serves as a mausoleum, is covered with marble slabs engraved with verses from the Koran. The roof of the mausoleum was also destroyed by the earthquake of 1779, but was rebuilt 200 years later in 1973. Work on the roof has not yet been completed.
Upon entering the mosque, of course, we professionals immediately take off our shoes and the soft carpet caresses our feet. The mosque is huge and the colours of the mosaics glow in the afternoon sun. If it hadn't been so cold here, we would certainly have stayed longer. As it was, we only enjoyed the peace and quiet in the middle of the bustling city for a short time and surrendered to the holy site. But let's be honest: we are not as impressed as many people are by this mosque. The spark doesn't really want to jump over. But that's allowed.
Back in our Felix, we make plans for the rest of the journey. The weather improves, the sun shines for hours and the temperatures rise into double figures. Yes, we are ready for new adventures!
Merci for "travelling with us
We are thinking about taking another break from travelling in the summer and visiting our families in Germany and Switzerland. One of the ideas is to organise a Lecture about our long journey to the Persian Gulf to prepare. If you would like to, what would interest you the most? We will also tell stories here that don't find a place here on the blog. We're thinking of the Bern and Berlin area - simply because we have family there. But other places are also conceivable. Feel free to write to us.
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