The following piece was written by an Iranian citizen journalist on the ground inside the country, who writes under a pseudonym to protect his identity.
History is alive and buzzing in Tabriz Bazaar, the biggest covered market in the world and the first to be designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
“Tabriz has been a place of cultural exchange since antiquity and its historic bazaar complex is one of the most important commercial centers on the Silk Road,” declares UNESCO’s website.
Visitors and the media have been increasingly interested in the bazaar. On November 12, 2014 the British newspaper the Guardian published a collection of photographs depicting everyday life in the bazaar on its Iran blog, featuring people passing the time at teahouses, a napping shopkeeper, shops overflowing with merchandise and, of course, carpet sellers. According to official Iranian media, over 2,000 foreign visitors travel to Tabriz each year and a number of travel websites cite Tabriz Bazaar and the city as a recommended tourist destination.
The 14th-century Moroccan explorer Ibn Battuta described the Tabriz complex as “one of the finest bazaars I have seen the world over. Every trade is grouped separately in it. I passed through the jewelers’ bazaar, and my eyes were dazzled by the varieties of precious stones that I beheld. They were displayed by beautiful slaves wearing rich garments with a waist-sash of silk, who stood in front of the merchants, exhibiting the jewels to the wives of the Turks, while the women were buying them in large quantities and trying to outdo one another.”
French explorer Jean Chardin, who traveled to Iran twice in the second half of the 17th century, called the bazaar the “best and most magnificent markets of Asia. The shops are separated and located in long, roofed halls, forming an extraordinary beautiful market. This market forms the heart of this city. Homes are located outside. Pretty arches cover it. A large number of customers and plenty of commercial goods can be observed.”
Tabriz Bazaar may no longer be the international gateway to the fabled Silk Road, but it is still the business center of the city. The complex covers 27 hectares, of which 5.5 kilometers is a covered bazaar. It has 20 arcades that house 5,500 shops belonging to 40 guilds. But commerce is not the only thing that the bazaar offers. It is also home to 28 mosques, nine seminaries, three mausoleums, five public bathhouses and many tea houses.
The complex officially became a national historical heritage site in 1975. In 2010, the bazaar was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 2013, the Aga Khan Award for Architecture recognized the bazaar, helping to fund its rehabilitation. The Aga Khan Awards, a collection of prizes, are presented every three years. Karim Agha Khan founded the awards in 1977, acknowledging architectural achievements in Islamic societies — not only for buildings but also for projects, stakeholders and teams. In total, the prizes award $1 million.
As old as Tabriz bazaar is, the overwhelming number of its buildings and structures date back to the late 18th century and early 19th century. In 1779, a powerful earthquake reduced the bazaar to a pile of rubble. But very soon, the master architects of the Zand (1750-1794) and Qajar (1785-1925) dynasties rebuilt this economic and social hub. The result was an architectural marvel that continues to fascinate visitors.
According to UNESCO, “Tabriz Historic Bazaar bears witness to one of the most complete socio-cultural and commercial complexes among bazaars. It has developed over the centuries into an exceptional physical, economic, social, political, and religious complex, in which specialized architectural structures, functions, professions, and people from different cultures are integrated in a unique living environment. The lasting role of the Tabriz Bazaar is reflected in the layout of its fabric and in the highly diversified and reciprocally integrated architectural buildings and spaces, which have been a prototype for Persian urban planning.”
Hundreds of years after Ibn Battuta and Chardin, the Agha Khan Award has successfully renewed interest in Tabriz Bazaar among both tourists and the media.
Ziba Alizadeh, Citizen-Journalist, Tabriz
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