The natural features of the province of Ardabil are mentioned in the Avesta, according to which Zoroaster was born by the river Aras and wrote his book in the Sabalan Mountains.

[citation needed] Shah Ismail I started his campaign to nationalize Iran's government and land from here, but consequently announced Tabriz as his capital in 1500 CE.

The population history and structural changes of Ardabil province's administrative divisions over three consecutive censuses are shown in the following table.

According to the 2016 census, 866,034 people (over 68% of the population of Ardabil province) live in the following cities:[2] Many tourists come to the region for its cool climate (max 35 °C (95°F)) during the hot summer months.

[citation needed] Ardabil is the seat of the sanctuary and tomb of Shaikh Safî ad-Dîn, eponym of the Safavid dynasty Kulliye.

[citation needed] The mineral springs of Ardabil are Beele-Darreh, Sareyn, Sardabeh and Booshloo, which are known throughout Iran for their medicinal qualities.

It also has a number of lakes: the largest of which are Ne'or, Shoorabil, ShoorGel, NouShahr and Alooche, which are the habitats of some species of water birds.

The surface of the lake is covered with a thin white layer of minerals, which is useful for healing skin diseases and rheumatism.