Ardabil

Ardabil is cold for half the year, and the people there will tell you that is the point. In winter you warm up in the hot springs at Sarein, under the slopes of Mount Sabalan. In summer you go up to Neor Lake.

The city itself is home to the Sheikh Safi al-Din shrine, which gave its name to the Ardabil carpet now in London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. Our Ardabil travel guide ties these places together; the articles below go into each one.