Ardabil

Ardabil (, Ardabīlor Ardebīl)Ardabīl) is a city in northwestern Iran, and the capital of Ardabil Province. As of 2016, there were 529,374 inhabitants in Ardabil living in 158,627 households. with the majority belonging to the Shia denomination of Islam. The dominant majority in the city are ethnic Iranian Azerbaijanis and the primary language of the people is Azerbaijani. Ardabil is known for its trade in silk and carpets. Ardabil rugs are renowned and the ancient Ardabil carpets are considered among the best of classical Persian carpets. Ardabil is also home to a World Heritage Site, Sheikh Safi al-Din Khānegāh and Shrine Ensemble, the sanctuary and tomb of Shaikh Safî ad-Dîn, the eponymous founder of the Safavid dynasty. The name Ardabil comes from the Avestan artavil or artawila which means "holy place". Ardabil is located on the Baliqly Chay River, about from the Caspian Sea, and from the city of Tabriz. It has an average altitude of and total area of . Neighboring on the Caspian Sea and the Republic of Azerbaijan, it has been of great political and economic significance throughout history, especially within the Caucasus region. It is located on an open plain above sea level, just east of Mount Sabalan (4,811 m), where cold spells occur until late spring. The pre-Islamic history of Ardabil is vague. Muslim historians attribute the foundation of Ardabil to the Sasanian King of Kings Peroz I (459-484), who named it Shad Peroz or Shahram Peroz. The city may have corresponded to the Sasanian mint city known in Middle Persian as ATRA, albeit this remains uncertain. During the Arab conquest of Iran, Ardabil was the seat of a marzban (margrave), who agreed to surrender to the Arabs in return for permitting the people of Ardabil to continue their religious observances at the fire temple of Shiz (present-day Takht-e Solayman). Due to being near the Caucasus, Ardabil was always susceptible to attacks by the Caucasian hill peoples as well as by the inhabitants of the steppes of Northern Caucasus.