My 19 Day Iranian Azerbaijan circuit - From the Caspian rives to Tabriz and Takht-e Soleiman - Day 6 (early afternoon) - Ardebil - Unesco designated Sheikh Safi al- Din Khanegah Garden and Shrine Ensemble (first part - exterior) - The 14th of May 2017

Soon after having briefly crossed a rather bustling zone of the city we approached the Sheikh Safi's beautiful garden having come across the stunning Haji Fakr Mosque's minarets.

Having been an eminent leader of an Islamic Sufi order established by the Safavids and simultaneously an outstanding poet, whose double verses written in both old Tati and Persian are still linguistically important nowadays Sheikh Safi's garden is like an ante-chamber to the Shrine itself, comprising several open spaces separated by richly decorated access gates, which in turn lead to an inner courtyard surrounded by the 16th-18th century buildings covered in astonishingly beautiful glazed brick in turquoise and azure.

 

 

 

 

 

Adding words to what can be seen in the photographs will only break the "spell" of the overall atmosphere of the complex, which is Unesco designated for architectural and religious reasons.

(To be continued)