The construction of the Tabriz Bazaar goes back to the eighth century. By 1500, Tabriz was among the five largest cities in the world with a population of around 300,000, but this was also the period when control of the city passed back and forth between the Iranian Safavids and Turkish Ottomans. Today it is only the sixth-largest city in Iran.
Tabriz is also a summer resort with many thermal springs in its vicinity. The population consists mostly of Azarbaijanis, who speak a Turkish dialect called Azari, though the official language is Persian.