[custom_adv] Prior to the Russo-Persian wars of the 19th century, the Azerbaijani people were distributed throughout the north-western Persian Empire, with the highest concentrations in Persian provinces that correspond to contemporary Azerbaijan and the Republic of Azerbaijan. [custom_adv] The Lut Desert, widely referred to as Dasht-e Lut, is a large salt desert located in the provinces of Kerman and Sistan and Baluchestan. It is the world's 27th-largest desert, and was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List on July 17, 2016. [custom_adv] Ardabil is also home to a World Heritage Site, the Ardabil Shrine, the sanctuary and tomb of Shaikh Safî ad-Dîn, eponymous founder of the Safavid dynasty. [custom_adv] Meymand is a village in Meymand Rural District, in the Central District of Shahr-e Babak County, Kerman Province. At the 2006 census, its population was 673, in 181 families. [custom_adv] Takht-e Soleymān, also known as Azar Goshnasp literally "the Fire of the Warriors", is an archaeological site in West Azarbaijan. It lies midway between Urmia and Hamadan, very near the present-day town of Takab, and 400 km (250 mi) west of Capital. [custom_adv] The mosque is the result of continual construction, reconstruction, additions and renovations on the site from around 771 to the end of the 20th century. The Grand Bazaar of Isfahan can be found towards the southwest wing of the mosque. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2012. [custom_adv] The baked-brick-built tower is an enormous decagon building with a conic roof, which forms the golden ratio Phi, that equals 1.618. The interiors contain the earliest examples of Muqarnas decorative styles. The decagon with its 3 meter-thick wall, divided into 10 sides, has a diameter of 17 m. [custom_adv] Shushtar is an ancient fortress city, approximately 92 kilometres (57 mi) away from Ahvaz, the centre of the province. Much of its past agricultural productivity derives from the irrigation system which centered on the Band-e Kaisar, the first dam bridge. The Mayor of Shushtar is Ahmad Asefi. [custom_adv] The Bazaar of Tabriz is a historical market situated in the city center of Tabriz. It is one of the oldest bazaars in the Middle East and the largest covered bazaar in the world. It is one of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. [custom_adv] The Behistun Inscription is a multilingual inscription and large rock relief on a cliff at Mount Behistun in the Kermanshah Province, near the city of Kermanshah. It was crucial to the decipherment of cuneiform script. [custom_adv] The central magnet of Soltaniyeh's several ruins is the Mausoleum of Il-khan Öljeitü also known as Muhammad Khodabandeh, traditionally known as the Dome of Soltaniyeh in Soltaniyeh city, Zanjan Province. [custom_adv] Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated deposit is called an aquifer when it can yield a usable quantity of water.
