Sareyn, City of Geysers

Sareyn is located 28 km west of Ardebil, with an east longitude of 48.04degrees and north latitude of 38.09 in an area of over 1,280, 000square meters and an altitude of 1650 m above sea level.
It’s famous for its various hot spas. About 4 million tourists come over to visit there every year. One of its best-known hot spring spas is Gavmish Goli where a large number of people suffering from rheumatism and skin diseases come to swim and cure themselves. It’s 230km from Tabriz and 619 km from Tehran. Sareyn means “source” in the Persian dictionary. It was called Sari Ghayn,Sarghin, Sarain and Sarghein. Its average maximum temperature is 25°C and its average minimum temperature is 8.7°C with an annual precipitation of 520 mm.
The transport system is what tourists usually use to visit Sareyn. It’s the main economic center of the region as it attracts many visitors who come to enjoy the springs and the spectacular scenery of Mount Sabalan. Its agricultural products include fruits like apples, pears, plums, wild plums, cherries, apricots and walnuts, cereals and grains such as potatoes, wheat, barley, lentils, turnips, etc., which are mainly consumed by its citizens and villagers.
Ardebil’s tourist attractions include the hot springs of Sabalan, Besh Bajilar, Gavmish Goli, an ancient rocky village called Wind Kalkhoran, ancient Anahita Hill, and Alvares ski resort.

Gavmish Goli hot spa

It is situated in Sareyn, 1940 m above the level. It’s the largest spa in Sareyn in terms of its amount of water (140 liters per second) and size. It has a 400 m outdoor pool which is 130 cm deep. With a temperature of 46°C, the pool’s water flows permanently and is sour, colorless, and slightly smelly. Its anions include carbonate, bicarbonate, chlorine and sulfate and its cations are composed of calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium. Its electric conductivity for a temperature of 25°C is 1300.Its pH is 6.58 and its dry residue after evaporation is 687 mg per liter. Since it has chemicals such as chlorine, sodic and calcic bicarbonate, it’s useful for curing general diseases, movement disorders (chronic rheumatic pains), women’s diseases such as scrofula, and heart diseases and for generally strengthening the body.
According to the elderly, the spa is called Gavmish Goli since buffalos in Sareyn used to sleep in the pool after its temperature went down slightly. In the past, excess water from mineral springs, especially Gavmish Goli, ran into a stream from southeast and turned the mill some 150m away. It was then the most valuable mill across Azerbaijan since water didn’t freeze in it, unlike other mills, and worked throughout the year.

Sabalan spa

As the largest in the Middle East, Sabalan hydrotherapy complex is located in Sareyn and includes facilities, various indoor pools, Jacuzzi, ponds, dry and steam sauna, showers, tubs and parking spots; it also offers medical care services to men and women . The two-story complex with an area of 7000 square meters receives many visitors. It came into operation in 1374. It has indoor pools (2 for women and one for men), 4 dry saunas, 2 steam saunas, cold water ponds, hot and cold showers, Jacuzzi and a physiotherapy section with 19 personal tubs, as well as a buffet, restaurant, and waiting rooms.

Besh Bajilar spa

One of the oldest spas in Sareyn, this was called Darrelar Sui in the past. It’s surrounded by a meadow full of plane and poplar trees. It’s called Besh Bajilar (5 sisters in Turkish) as it ejects from five mouths. The complex's water is supplied through it, as well as water from Gavmish Goli which becomes 13 liters per second altogether.
Its water is dark, hot, slightly sour and smelly and is composed of chlorine and sodium bicarbonate with a temperature of about 35°C. Its anions include bicarbonate, chlorine and sulfate and its cations contain calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium. The electric conductivity for 25°C is 1200, its pH is 6.5 and its dry residue from evaporation is 660 mg/liter.
After the revolution, Besh Bajilar was almost deserted and only the locals used it sometimes until the province water department started building the existing complex there in 1371. It has large pools with an area of 288 square meters and depth of 120 to 140 cm,6 personal showers with curved walls, 16 public showers opposite the personal ones, 1 dry and steam sauna and 6 Jacuzzi in the west. It offers medical care services and has parking spots. It is the second in terms of its capacity and is used to cure general diseases and relieve nerve and articular pains.

Ancient rocky village of wind Kalkhoran

It is located about 5 km south and southeast of Sareyn near Ardebil road. Separate stone houses in Ghordi Ghiya, Tappe Chellekhan, Ghara Ghiya, and Masjed Yeri are a notable historic phenomenon in architecture. There is a high sedimentary hill, 2 km northwest of the village, whose south side has formed a high wall due to erosion in the Balikho riverbed. About 50 m above the river bed, there is a spectacular engraved stone crypt with a door and small room. Inside it there is a space resembling an incomplete tetrahedron pyramid. On its west side there is a carved image which is like a triangle with another triangle inside where there is a molded and engraved pattern like a human with a head and hands and feet and on its edge there are engraved letters most of which are destroyed.
The village could turn into a tourist attraction due to its diverse stone houses and its ancient history.

Ancient Anahita hill

Registered on the national relics list as 1976th, it is located west of Sareyn and dates back to the first and second millennia BC as the remnant objects and pottery of the region indicate. Anahita temple was a place for the Magi and Zoroastrian priests to worship. The kings in the Sassanid Era used the area around the temple called Sari Ghiya as summerquarters. In the mid-1340s, remains of the castle’s wall and monument on the hill were devastated by Sareyn’s officials to build a drinking water source. The temple was used as a mosque for years by locals. Under the hill and its castle there were underground paths one of which ends up in Gavmish Goli square in Sareyn, which is now closed.

Alvares ski resort

The biggest in Iran, the ski resort is situated on the slopes of high Mount Sabalan, 12 km from Alvares village and 24 km from Sareyn. It’s 3200m above sea level. It is active for about six to eight months as snow takes much time to melt.
Among the things done to prepare the site and get it into operation: a 24 km paved road was built which runs right up to the resort, equipped with telesiyej line (or ski lift) with a length of 1250 m installed by Doppelmay Austrian company, a tele ski line, and two educational centers. It’s fascinating in spring and summer too, and nomads come with their herds to settle. It’s cool and mild in summer. Located in an area with dense vegetation and colorful flowers such as anemones, hollyhocks, locoweeds etc. in broad fields it overlooks Sareyn, Nayyer, and Ardebil cities and is on the way to climb MountSabalan.