Ardabil, Turkish Erdebil, city, capital of Ardabil province, northwestern Iran, 38 miles (61 km) from the Caspian Sea. It stands on an open plain 4,500 feet (1,400 meters) above sea level, just east of Mount Sabalan (15,784 feet [4,811 meters]), where cold spells occur until late spring.

Persian historians have ascribed a founding date to the town in the Sasanian period, but its known history does not begin until the Islamic period. The city was taken by treaty by ʿAli (c. 600–661), the fourth caliph. It was at that time the residence of the Sasanian governor. The Umayyad governor made Ardabil his capital, but the Arab hold on the region did not last. Local rulers fought continuously in the area until the Mongol conquest in 1220, when the town was destroyed. It lost all importance until the Sufi mystic Sheikh Safi al-Din made it the center of his Safavid order in the 13th century. After the Safavid dynasty came to power in Iran in the 16th century, Ardabil was especially enriched by gifts from Safavid rulers. Much of the library of the shrine, once the greatest in Iran, and many of the treasures were looted by the Russians after their sack of Ardabil in 1827.

The city once shared in trade with Russia via the Caspian, but such activity has stagnated. Its industry consists of a cement factory and the making of carpets and rugs. Local warm mineral springs are frequented. The population speaks Azeri, a Turkic language. Pop. (2006) 418,262.

Sheikh Safi al-din Khanegah and Shrine Ensemble  

Iranian National Heritage Organization and UNESCO have registered this shrine complex on their list as a world heritage site. The complex includes various parts such as Chini Khaneh (house of porcelain), Jannat Sara, Khanqaha, Chelleh Khaneh, Shahidgah, Cheragh Khaneh (Lighthouse) and Haram Khaneh.

The shrine of Sheikh Safiuddin is located in Ali Qapu Square of the city. In fact, this is the burial place of Sheikh Safiuddin, one of the mystics of the Safavid era. The complex was constructed from the 16th to the 18th centuries. It is the most famous tourist attraction of Ardebil among world travelers.

Porcelain Museum of Ardabil

Chini Khaneh museum is 4 century old. It is located on the eastern side of Sheikh Safiuddin Ardabili’s Shrine. The designer of this building is Sheikh Bahai (the well-known Iranian architect). He lived in the Safavid era. This museum is a hall consisting of four Shah-Neshin sections accommodating the porcelain imported from China back then.

This museum is one of the main tourist attractions of Ardabil inside the city, which has got a nationwide reputation among Iranians too.