South Korean National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun, who is in Tehran to attend President Hassan Rouhani’s swearing-in, oversaw the signing between SKEC, Tabriz Oil Refining Company and National Iranian Oil Engineering and Construction Company (NIOEC).

“The purpose of the signing of the agreement, which is about to be signed into a contract in the near future, is to convert the furnace oil produced at the Tabriz refinery to products of higher value according to Euro 5 standard,” the report said.

Export-Import Bank of Korea will finance the project which includes upgrades to desulfurization equipment as well as gasoline, diesel and other facilities, it added.

The project will be carried out over a period of 48 months, bringing down the furnace oil capacity at the refinery to 2.0% from 20% now. Furnace oil is also known as fuel oil.

The Tabriz oil processing plant, built in 1976, is among the Iranian refineries in dire need of upgrade and modernization. In February, the country signed a $3 billion contract with China to upgrade the Abadan refinery in southwest Iran.

Tabriz operates with a capacity of 110,000 barrels per day, turning crude oil to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), gasoline and diesel fuel.

According to Managing Director of National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company Abbas Kazemi, Iran needs $14 billion of investment in total to fix and upgrade Tehran, Bandar Abbas, Isfahan, Tabriz and Abadan refineries.

Iranian refineries, he said in February, were operating at a capacity of 500,000 barrels per day, which would rise to 600,000 bpd in the current Persian year.

Iran expected to sign oil refining contracts worth $8.6 billion with a number of Japanese, Chinese and Korean companies, Kazemi said then, adding the biggest deal was reserved for Japan’s Marubeni, Chiyoda and Mitsui companies to upgrade Isfahan refinery at $3.6 billion.

A separate $2 billion contract is about to be signed with South Korea’s Daelim company to boost oil processing capacity at Isfahan refinery, said Kazemi, who is also Iran’s deputy petroleum minister.

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Iranian carpets are renowned for their quality and style around the world. They truly are works of art, and also of great labor, many of them taking years at the hands of the nimble and skilled.

Tabriz is home to one of the most beautiful and most popular kind of carpets in the world with an inclusive variety, giving it the title of “World Carpet City”.

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The village, situated near the city of Osku in East Azarbaijan Province, epitomizes genuine manmade dwellings that have been carved out of substantially eroded rocks.

As to its shape and appearance, Kandovan is highly reminiscent of Cappadocia, a historical region in Central Anatolia, Turkey.

There is also a number of well-equipped lodgings that travelers who opt for an overnight stay may use to experience the magic of the place in peace and quiet.

Adjacent to the hillside residents are also storage barns and other fellow settlements.

Here is a select of comments that visitors to the village have posted to TripAdvisor, one of the most popular travel websites in the world:

“Wonderful village”

I stayed the night in a cave here as part of a tour. The cave was cold and we were only given 2 blankets each, one to lie on and one to cover, but it was an experience!

I found the village fascinating, but I love rocks etc. We wandered around seeing so many different houses, and sunset at the highest point was wonderful. It’s not a place for the unsteady or unfit, there are hundreds of steep steps.

We arrived late in the afternoon and left in the morning, so we didn’t see many tourists. We ate in the hotel and had a delicious meal and tea. (Wanderer38 from Australia, visited October 2016)

“Iranian Cappadocia; must see”

One of the best village visits in Iran. Make sure you get here earlier in the day to avoid tourist crowds that tend to come in in the afternoon. (Hayzen11 from San Francisco, California; visited October 2016)

“So beautiful”

Loved everything, the homes were all made of stone, so interesting I couldn’t stop looking at the village, the road to the village just beautiful. You can buy the best natural honey in the world. (Trobche from the UK, visited June 2016)

The undated photo above shows some troglodyte homes carved out of noticeably eroded rocks in Kandovan village, northwest Iran./Tehran Times

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Who is Imam Hossein

No more than 50 years had passed since the death of Muhammad (the last Prophet of Islam) and the Muslim Empire was sliding into corruption under a tyrant from the Ummayad dynasty, Yazid.

Hussain ibn Ali, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad took a stand against Yazid’s illegitimate rule. Whilst Yazid was in equal parts feared and despised for his ruthlessness, Hussain was admired and respected by society at large. Mindful of this, Yazid decided that he would demand Hussain’s allegiance, hoping to gain some form of legitimacy for his inherited rule.

Hussain’s stand against tyranny.

Hussain had a choice to make. To endorse Yazid would no doubt mean a handsome reward and a life of luxury. To refuse would invariably lead to his own demise. What should he do? What would you or I do? For Hussain the choice between the easy thing and the right thing was no choice at all.

Hussain refused.

He said: “I will never give Yazid my hand like a man who has been humiliated, nor will I flee like a slave… I have not risen to spread evil or to show off… I only desire to enjoin good values and prevent evil.”

The final stand of Hussain ibn Ali.

That night Hussain assembled his group, stressing to them that it was his life that Yazid wanted and that they might be able to escape. Again, Hussain’s selflessness shone through. There he stood, amongst his family and companions, all having been deprived of water in the scorching desert for three days, pleading with them to leave him and save themselves!

After a few days of this stalemate, the government forces were commanded to attack and kill Hussain and his companions. Hussain’s men were vastly outnumbered. The hour for battle commenced, Hussain’s companions departed from their camp in small bands and one after the other – all fighting valiantly before being killed.

Throughout the day the forces of Yazid asked Hussain for his allegiance, yet Hussain resisted. Eventually Hussain was alone with no one left to support him. Fatigued, thirsty, and heavily wounded, Hussain fell to the ground as the women and children looked on.

He too was killed mercilessly, yet he died holding on firmly to his principles.

Hussain’s victory and inspiring legacy.

After his death, the women and children from Hussain’s party were taken captive. His sister, Zainab, took up the mantle of leadership of the small band, and gave speech after speech condemning the actions of Yazid and his government, culminating in a confrontation in the ruler’s own court. Zainab was perhaps the first person to be inspired by Hussain’s stand, using it as a catalyst for change. She refused to be subdued and put her fear to one side so she could hold to account those responsible for the moral decay of society.

Despite the pervasive sexism of society at the time, Zainab managed to lead and inspire both men and women. Hussain’s example, that one man can stand alone against an army of thousands, inspired her to the point where she castigated and berated a murderous dictator in his own palace, laying the foundations for the eventual overthrow of the Umayyad dynasty.

Today millions of people pay homage to Hussain ibn Ali for his stand and annually mourn the tragic Battle of Karbala in which Hussain, his family and loyal companions were brutally killed one by one. Pilgrims from all walks of life visit the Imam Hussain shrine to pay their respects in the city of Karbala, Iraq.

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Tabriz and its Bazaar were already prosperous and famous in the 13th century, when the town, in the province of Eastern Azerbaijan, became the capital city of the Safavid kingdom. The city lost its status as capital in the 16th century, but remained important as a commercial hub until the end of the 18th century, with the expansion of Ottoman power. It is one of the most complete examples of the traditional commercial and cultural system of Iran.

Ensemble du bazar historique de Tabriz

Lieu d’échange culturel depuis l’Antiquité, l’ensemble du bazar historique de Tabriz est l’un des plus importants centres de commerce le long de la Route de la Soie. L’ensemble du bazar historique de Tabriz se compose d’une série d’enceintes et de structures couvertes en briques reliées entre elles et d’enceintes aux fonctions variées. Tabriz et son bazar étaient déjà prospères et célèbres au 13e siècle, lorsque Tabriz, située dans la province d’Azerbaïdjan-Oriental, devint la capitale du royaume safavide. La ville, qui perdit son statut de capitale au XVIe siècle, conserva son rôle de pôle commercial majeur jusqu’à la fin du XVIIIe siècle avec l’essor du pouvoir ottoman. Il s’agit d’un des exemples les plus complets de système commercial et culturel traditionnel d’Iran.
Conjunto del bazar histórico de Tabriz

Lugar de intercambios culturales desde la Antigüedad, el bazar histórico de Tabriz fue uno de los centros comerciales más importantes de la Ruta de la Seda. Integrado por una serie de estructuras y recintos, edificados en ladrillo y cubiertos, que comunican entre sí, este bazar gozaba ya de una gran prosperidad y fama en el siglo XIII, cuando la ciudad de Tabriz, situada en la provincia del Azerbaiyán Oriental, se convirtió en capital del Imperio Safávida. Más tarde, en el siglo XVI, Tabriz perdió su condición de capital, pero siguió siendo un emporio comercial de primera importancia hasta finales del siglo XVIII con el auge del poder otomano. El conjunto del bazar es uno de los ejemplos más completos de los sistemas tradicionales comerciales y culturales del Irán.

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