.خانلو، منصور. تبریز قدیم: سرگذشت تبریز از قدیمترین ایام تاکنون. تبریز: تلاش، ١٣۶۴، ١۴١ص
Khanlu, Mansur. Tabriz-i Qadim: Sarguzasht-i Tabriz az Qadimtarin Ayyam Takunun. Tabriz: Talash, 1986, 141pp.
ABSTRACT
Old Tabriz (The Story of Tabriz from the Earliest Days until the Present)
تبریز قدیم: سرگذشت تبریز از قدیمترین ایام تاکنون
The writer begins with an historical account and etymology of the name Azerbaijan, and from the very first page speaks of the liberation of Atropat (Azerbaijan) after the death of Alexander. In the last page of the first chapter, the author suddenly cites an old text that shows the existence of Tabriz for several thousand years, but provides no source for it. The text he cites is about Tamarkisa, but the author does not clarify why Tamarkisa is the same as Tabriz.
Khanlu then goes on to provide an account of Tabriz from the perspective of history and of travellers, but his approach is ethnocentric and tied to the author’s own values and aspirations. In the best case scenario, it is an emic account of an Azeri writing about his ethnic origins and cultural values who is not able to adopt a neutral approach about what he writes. In some pages, the author has adorned his historical descriptions of Tabriz with verses from his own poetry. Except for a few rare instances, everything he includes from history and travelogues about Tabriz are all about the kindness and good attributes of the city and its people.
In the next segment of the book, the author covers the geographical situation of Tabriz during the years of the Constitutional Revolution and includes a list of Tabriz’s alleys and aqueducts.
The last part of the book is devoted to the culture, customs, and folklore of the ordinary people of Tabriz.
Iradj Esmailpour Ghouchani
Translated by Niki Akhavan
