Sheikh Safi al-din Ardebili (1252 – 1334 CE) was a mystic, a poet, and the ancestor of Shah Ismail I the founder of Safavid dynasty. Sheikh Safi is also the father of Safaviyya Sufism. After his death, his descendants built a shrine on his gravestone beside his house and his Khanegah (a Sufi religious building) in Ardebil. This shrine is the most prominent Sufi Shrine and complete Khanegah. To honor Sheikh Safi al-din, his descendants, mostly Safavid kings, gradually added items to this widely revered religious ensemble of Safavid dynasty. The combination of Ilkhanid and Timurid architecture with fundamental principles of Sufism and spirituality led to the creation of a new spatial layout and decorative art that later influenced Safavid art and architecture.

The Sheikh Safi al-din ensemble resembles a tiny city with a variety of sections such as mosque, library, school, hospital, bazaar, mausoleum, bath, cistern, kitchen, bakery, offices, and houses. This is the most efficient utilization of accessible space to accommodate a variety of functions.

Three tomb towers exist in the complex. The oldest one, hidden behind two other towers was built to venerate Sheikh Safi al-din, and the biggest one known as Allah Allah is decorated with the countless repeated names of God in Arabic scripts with blue-glazed bricks. Although the complex is ascribed to Sheikh Safi al-din, other prominent individuals such as Shah Ismail I and his mother plus martyrs of Battle of Chaldiran (the first battle between Ottomans and Safavids) are buried at the site. To highlight the seven steps of Sufi mysticism, the route to Sheikh Safi al­-din Shrine passes through seven segments, and eight gates separate various parts of the mausoleum representing the eight attitudes of Sufism.

Chilla Khana derived from Persian word Chehel (meaning forty), was a place for the Sufi ritual of Chilla. In Chilla, to withdraw from the world and pray in solitude, people went to Khalwa for forty days and nights.

Since several lanterns had lightened the hall for praying and memorizing Quran, this dazzling rectangular hall with its gold-painted ceilings is known as Ghandil Khaneh or lantern house. In 1539 CE Shah Tahmasp I ordered to knit a treasurable carpet for the hall, with its geometry reflected symmetrically on the ceiling. Currently, this most precious remnant carpet of Safavid era, known as Ardebil carpet is housed in the Victoria and Albert Museum of London. Unfortunately, the gold painted ceiling was collapsed after an earthquake.

Chini Khaneh with its honeycombed ceiling and suspended golden vaulted niches is a place to keep Shah Abbas I porcelain collection. A two-year war between Iran and Russian empire had led to the Treaty of Turkmenchay in 1828, Russians moved many of original books and precious porcelains from Sheikh Safi al-Din complex to Russia, among which many are in Hermitage museum.

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Ardabil province with about 17,800 square kilometers is the 24th biggest province of the country. According to the latest country division in Iran, it has ten cities and about two percent of the country’s total population live in this province. Its center is Ardabil that whose old name was Artavil meaning “The City of Righteousness”.

Most residents of Ardabil province are called Azari who speak Azerbaijani. In some parts of the province including Talysh and Tat, the indigenous people speak with Talysh and Tati languages. Ardabil was considered a part of East Azerbaijan province until 1993 but became an independent province following the approval of the government.

Therefore, the history, culture, and events of Ardabil province are mixed with the history of Azerbaijan territory. Most historians attribute the construction of Ardabil to Peroz during the Sassanid Empire (224-651 A.D.). It was also one of the important cities of Azerbaijan during the Parthian Empire (247 B.C. – 224 A.D.). Ardabil was destroyed following the invasion of Mongol and although soon its reconstructions began, it took years the province to return to the previous flourished time.

During the Safavid Dynasty (1501-1736), Ardabil experienced its zenith. According to the inscriptions that remained from this era, Sheikh Safi al-Din Ardabili, the ancestor of the Safavid kings built his home and monastery in Ardabil to develop his religious activities. This monastery had the privilege of being located on the roads of Gilan, Aran, Azerbaijan, and Anatolia with the spiritual influence of Sheikh Safi himself. At the time of Sheikh Jouneid, the monastery turned into a Shiite center.

In recent years, the tomb of Sheikh Safi al-Din Ardabili as one of the important tourist attractions of the province has been registered in the UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

In addition to Sheikh Safi al-Din, Shah Ismail I, his wife and a number of Chaldoran martyrs are also buried in the tomb. What makes the place incredibly appealing is the combination of various decorations such as mosaic tiles, muqarnas (vaulted decorations), stucco of inscriptions, paintings, silvering, and gilding.

Ardabil province is also known for its beautiful nature with its natural attractions of Sabalan Mountain, Sabalan Lake, Shorabil Lake, Neor Lake, Sareyn Hydrotherapy Complex, Asalem to Khalkhal beautiful road, Heyran Road, Fandoqlu Forest, and Alvars Ski Resort. Similar to other parts of Iran, Ardabil has its own handicrafts and cuisines. For example, Varni, a woven floor cover, is the most famous handicraft of the region among the nomads of Shahsevan.

There is also another form of weaving handicraft known as Masnad, which is a small carpet with sharp colors and nature-related patterns. Of its souvenirs, Sabalan honey, and Ghareh Halvah are the most famous ones. Ghareh Halva is a black sweet nourishing paste which is a mixture of natural wheat flour, sugar, and butter. Furthermore, Ash Dough is the most famous traditional food in Ardabil that is, a soup made of meat, yellow gram, sour yogurt, and water. This delicious dish came to be popular in other parts of the country as well, especially in the northern parts.

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