With the emergence of commerce and manufacturing spaces, close to each other, in cities, a place called bazaar (market) started to form. It became one of the most vital parts of big cities. Bazaars have an anatomic connection with all parts of the city and are known as the most prosperous. The construction of bazaars in Iran dates back to ancient times, and slowly expanded in later historical periods. Many historical bazaars of Iran remain more or less intact and continue their consistent and ever-lasting lives. However, there have been some changes over time.
First, let us explain that a bazaar is where goods are displayed, bought and sold. “bazaar” is a Persian word taken from “wazar” in Pahlavi (Middle Persian).
One of the oldest markets of the Iranian plateau has been found in the excavations of Shahr Sookhteh. In this five-thousand-year-old city, a place was considered for the trading of goods that came from the Persian Gulf and other parts close to “Shahre Sukhteh”. Archeological science proves that this place had the same use as the markets now-a-days.
The Elamites, in the plain of Khuzestan, from the fourth thousand BC to the first half BC, created a very advanced civilization. In this civilization, more than 30 cities were built, one of the most important of which was the city of Shush. In the archaeological excavations of Shush, they found a very long street with numerous spaces. One of those spaces was for storing and selling goods and also used as a market.
Iranian bazaar: from ancient times upto the past century
The Medes, the first Aryan rulers of Iran, considered a place for trading goods in their cities, and craftsmen and tradesmen would work there. But the glory of Iran’s cities and market spaces should be sought in the Achaemenid civilization. From the stone inscriptions obtained from Persepolis, it is clear that the market in this city and other Achaemenid cities was a precious space that the government paid particular attention to and established taxes for the tradesmen of these bazaars.
The Parthian empire, which paid special attention to commerce and economic ties with other lands, expanded markets in cities and tried to make it easy to trade goods in the market and for merchants to go to these places. One example was the Parthian city of Dura-Europos (a border city between Iran and the Roman empire), clearly visible in archaeological excavations. The market and town square were located on the main street of the city.
Urbanization mechanisms in Iran reached their peak during the Sassanid Empire, and the cities enjoyed great prosperity. During this period, many cities were built, one of the most essential parts of which was the market. In this period of history, markets started having separate spaces for different trades and crafts, that can still be seen today. Every job and trade had its own space in Sassanid bazaars. “City bazaar” is mentioned in many documents left behind by the Sassanids.
In the median period of Iranian history, the market spaces in the cities increased, and their importance grew in every century. Especially, with time, special attention was paid to bazaar architecture in cities. Building a shop in the market goes back to this period.
In historical sources, numerous signs of the construction of bazaars can be found during Ghaznavid and Seljuk rule (5th and 6th centuries). Nasser Khosrow, the famous orator of Iran in the 6th century, who lived at the beginning of the Seljuk rule over Iran, mentions many markets in cities in his travelogue. More signs of the physical spaces of the market can be found in all the big cities of Iran in the geographical books of that period.
In the 7th century, with the invasion of Iran by the Mongols, many prominent cities were destroyed. The markets also lost some of their prosperity. But, with the establishment of the Mongol Ilkhanate government in the 7th century, the towns were rebuilt. The markets regained their importance and economic value once again. The market of Tabriz had 1500 shops and 24 caravanserais at the beginning of the 8th century, and also other parts, in connection with the bazaar, expanded.
During the Timurid period (ninth century of the lunar calendar), the cities of Bukhara, Samarkand, Marv, Herat, Mashhad, Kerman, and some other places had magnificent markets. It was a place for many people to come and go and trade various goods from different cities and lands.
The peak of prosperity of the middle history markets of Iran happened during the Safavid period. The extensive political and commercial ties of the Safavid government with Europe and the movement of European merchants to Iran further developed Iranian markets. They made them a place for global trade. The cities of Isfahan, Qazvin, Shiraz, Kerman, Tabriz, and Mashhad were the main bazaars of Iran. They were full of European travelers from other countries. Aside from Isfahan, the Safavid capital, and its many markets, the city of Tabriz was one of the most important trading cities of Iran during the Safavid era, with nearly seven thousand shops (during the reign of Shah Safi).
After the Safavid period, during the reign of Karim Khan Zand, the prominent market of Shiraz was built. This historical bazaar, which still has not lost its splendor, is considered a masterpiece of Iranian architecture. During the Qajar kingdom, because Tehran was considered the capital, this city also had a big market, the same as other big markets in Iran. On the other hand, with the increase in population, the market of big cities increased. The arrival of foreign goods (especially from Russia to Iran) played a significant role in the emergence of new professions in the markets of Iran during the Qajar period. However, these imports harmed exports and domestic production. The construction of passageways and streets in this period also transformed the physical space of Iran’s markets. It turned them into static areas that could not be grown. But the dynamics of Iran’s market remain the same.
Social functioning of the bazaars
Iran’s markets were not only a place for trading and buying and selling but also a place for meetings, exchange information, and informing citizens about what was going on around them. Celebrations, national and religious occasions, and religious mourning was carried out in bazaars, and this physical space gained the role of connecting and uniting the people.
On the other hand, each passage in a bazaar was allocated to a profession and so known by the same name. For example, coppersmith’s bazaar, fabrics bazaar, rice trade bazaar, metalsmith’s market, and other models. Sometimes, merchants and shopkeepers, who were from another city and working in the bazaar of another city, had named a part of the bazaar after their hometown, like in the Tehran bazaar, where there were sections called Esfahani bazaar, Kashani bazaar, the Tabrizi market, etc. Another market part, notable for selling expensive goods, was known as “Qeysarriyeh.” It is also worth mentioning that there were several types of markets. Some were permanent markets, and others were temporarily set-up bazaars.
Whenever, in the historic past, cities enjoyed security and peace and there were no wars, prosperity and flourishing of bazaars also increased. Kings and rulers who realized the importance of commerce and the economic cycle tried to expand markets and meet the needs of merchants, sellers, and buyers.
The market and its body and place in people’s social lives have been so crucial since the distant past that it can be the basis of much research. Also, many books and essays have been written about the historical and traditional markets of Iran, and it is considered one of the most exciting research in social history. It is only by knowing the historical and considered one of the most interesting research projects in social history. In addition, these urban spaces (bazaar) were very valuable from the point of view of Iranian architecture and the way they are designed and built. They are an example of Iranian art and understanding of architecture.
The series of articles, “Historical Markets of Iran,” that will be presented from now on is a quick look at the most important ancient markets of Iran.
