The historic bazaar of Kashan, with an age of 700 years, is not magnificent in the eyes of Iranians only. All the European travelers who traveled this way in the past centuries and wrote a travelogue about our land, if they happened to visit Kashan, they spoke of that very spectacular and perhaps the only Bazaar with indescribable praise and considered it as one of the most spectacular places visited in their trip. From the English Sir Anthony Shirley, who came to Iran during the Safavid era, to the French Jean Aubin, who saw Kashan in the last years of the Qajar dynasty, all praised this magnificent structure.
If we imagine a line drawn from the east to the west in Kashan city the historic bazaar of this city is built all along this line. It stretches from Bab d-afzal St, right upto Dowlat gate. It includes many bazaars and sub-bazaars, whose trade has always been prosperous and a place for people to socialize.
In the past centuries Kashan bazaar was located right on the road where the caravans intersected; on this same commercial road for 700 years, this bazaar welcomed merchants and their goods; caravans that came from the far east and ended up in the west. Some link construction of this bazaar to Al-Booye dynasty (5th century) (11th century AD), and some consider its foundation during the Seljuk period (6th century). In any case, the structure changed over time, because several earthquakes damaged the structure and therefore it had to be reconstructed.
Thus, its shape changed, almost completely, in the periods that followed after original construction of the bazaar. The earthquakes of Kashan, which were not few, continued until the time of Zandiyeh (in the twelfth century of the lunar calendar) and damaged the traditional and historical Bazaar of this city. During the time of Zandiyeh and in the lunar year 1192 (one year before the death of Karim Khan Zand), another earthquake shook Kashan. It prompted the city’s ruler to rebuild the Bazaar, which had been damaged again. Most of the structures seen in the Kashan bazaar are remnants of the restorations done by the Zandieh ruler of Kashan (Abd al-Razzaq Khan Kashi). However, the expansion of Kashan bazaar was done before the Zandieh period. In this respect, the Safavids (especially during the reign of Shah Abbas I)made renovation, both to the bazaar and the city of Kashan; and prevented destruction of the bazaar. The Qajar rulers of Kashan also started the development of the Bazaar and added parts to it. Their most significant contribution to the development of the Kashan Bazaar was during the reign of Fath Ali Shah. During this period, they built a masterpiece of architecture from that Bazaar and left a monument. During this period the bazaar was turned into a masterpiece of architecture. During the first Pahlavi period, Kashan began to expand, due to which parts of the bazaar were destroyed.
The reputation of the Kashan Bazaar among foreign travelers
Kashan Bazaar has always been admired and praised by travelers who traveled to Iran from Europe in the past centuries and visited Kashan city. Especially since during the Safavid era, the Kashan Bazaar participated in those celebrations. One of them was Sir anthony sherly, a famous english writer, who came to Iran during the Safavid era (Shah Abbas I) and praised Kashan Bazaar in his travelogue. Similarly, Tavernier is a French traveler and merchant who traveled to Iran once during the reign of Shah Safi and once again during the reign of Shah Abbas II and Shah Suleiman Safavid and saw the Kashan Bazaar as a manifestation of all kinds of beauty and praise. Sir Thomas Herbert, the ambassador of King Charles of England, also visited the Kashan Bazaar during the reign of Shah Abbas I and wrote in his that the goods traded in the Kashan bazaar were unparalleled in their beauty and excellence. Pietro Della Valle, the Italian knight, and Adam Olearius, a German who both came to Iran during the reign of Shah Abbas I, mentioned the Kashan Bazaar and wrote about its beauty in their travelogues. During the Qajar period, the French Olivier, the French archaeologist Madame Delaufoy, the English Iranologist Edward Brown, and the French minister of power in Iran, Eugène Aubin, who had traveled to our country during the Qajar period, had all seen the Kashan Bazaar and mentioned its splendor and considered it as a tourist attraction for travelers to visit.
Multiple sections of the Kashan bazaar
The traditional and historical bazaar of Kashan had several changes. Some of them are as follows: Bakhshi timche, Seyed Agha, Sabbagh, Amin al-Doulah, Mir Panj, Mir, Qomi, and Boroujerdi shoemakers and caravanserais. Also, some examples from the historic parts of the bazaar are the oil-press, copper bazaar, Emadi and Khan public bath, Sang Square, Balabazar and Mianchal and Darkob reservoirs, Tabriziha Mosque, Malek bazaar, Sultani school, Shah Yalan shrine in the Gozar-no-Bazaar, and pankhal mosque.
For some sections of the Kashan bazaar more details should be given because of their importance. In the traditional bazaars of Iran, the part where artistic and delicate work was done was called Qaysarieh. Shah Abbas I of Safavid founded the Qaysariyeh Bazaar of Kashan, decorated with spectacular arrays. Qaysarieh Bazaar of Kashan is one of the parts that every tourist or visitor should visit.
Farrokh Khan Ghafari Kashi, named Amin al-Dowlah, was one of the high rank officials of the Qajar government. By his order, a timche was built in this bazaar and the architect was Ustad Ali Maryam Kashi, which has, since then, become famous as Amin-ol-Dowleh timche. The roof of this timche is very high and has a wide opening. Its brickwork, tiles, and moqrans work are also eye-catching and rare. This Timcheh is one of the sights of the Kashan bazaar.
another section worth mentioning is the public bath owned by Abadul Razzaq Khan, built in the Zandieh period. This section has tiled entrance arch. It is located in the bazaarcheh (sub-bazaar) section of Qysarieh. The historical bazaar of Kashan has been a trading place for the people of Kashan and the travelers and merchants of this city since its foundation. Fortunately, this magnificent structure has not lost its traditional use and continues to live in addition to its stunning beauty. This ancient structure is still a place for tourists visiting the historical delights of Kashan City. Bazar architecture attracts everyone’s attention with its roofed passageways, a dome with lighting in the middle, and all the pleasant arrays.
