From the distant past, when “Qazvin Bazaar” was built, until today, this beautiful structure has been a link between traders and urban needs. One of the most essential features of this bazaar is its spacious spread and eye-catching architecture. With 14 hectares, Qazvin Bazaar has numerous sections for all kinds of crafts. These sections are called bazaarcheh, and each of them has its own outstanding feature, although some have disappeared over time.
In the past, the Qazvin bazaar had in itself some bazaarcheh. In each of them craftsmen, such as blacksmiths, crystal sellers, bazaz (cloth sellers), leather sellers, wood turners (wood sellers), goldsmiths, tinsmiths, yarn and rope gaugers, linen sellers, cotton sellers, and some other examples, were busy working. One of the important sections was called women’s bazaar, which, as its name says, was specifically for commodities that women needed.
Qazvin Bazaar has several sections, some of which have disappeared now. Some of those parts were called Sarai Saadat, Saraye Shah, Saraye Wazir, Sarai Hajreza, Sarai Dalandraz, Saraye Zarabkhaneh, Saraye Nagar al-Saltaneh, Saraye Beheshti, Caravanserai Saad al-Saltaneh, Garambeh-e Saadiyeh, Garmabeh yard, and Tomanesian Trading House. We will make a brief mention of some of these sections later.
The history of Qazvin bazaar
Qazvin Bazaar was built at least a thousand years ago. Although a precise date for its construction has yet to be found, its current structure was laid during the Safavid period. Some believe that the place where Qazvin Grand Mosque is now, far from the Bazaar, was part of the bazaar, in the past. In other words, the length of the bazaar was from its current location right up to the city’s Jame Mosque (main mosque). But now and in the city’s existing structure, there is a gap between these two places. We mentioned that the Qazvin Bazaar expanded during the Safavid period. It should be added that many parts of this Bazaar were founded and built during the Qajar kingdom by the city’s ruler, Mohammad Baqer Khan Saad al-Saltaneh. This caused the bazaar location to be moved from the south towards the north, separating the Bazaar Mosque from its current context.
One of the reasons that attention was given to Qazvin bazaar during the Safavid period was that Qazvin was the capital of the Safavid kings in the beginning of their reign. The structures in the Saadat Bagh were built in the Safavid period. during the Qajar period, Qazvin bazaar flourished, mainly because of the construction of Saad-al-Sultan caravanserai during the reign of Nasser-eddin Shah. Especially since Iran was drown into WWI, Qazvin bazaar was given a lot of attention due to its international trade and connections, and also because it was located on the road that stretched from Tehran to Russia and Europe, and therefore gained international importance.
Architecture and the different sections of Qazvin bazaar
The architecture of Qazvin Bazaar is beautiful, and a lot of art has been done in its construction. The checkered designs of this Bazaar, its various entrances, and its magnificent spaces cannot be hidden from the eyes of the Bazaar’s observers and visitors. The high ceiling of the bazaar and its brick arches are worthy of close observation. Each of the doors of the bazaar open in a direction that is connected with the crafts of that section, for example:
- the north door faces the timche without ceiling.
- the south door faces the covered timche (with ceiling)
- the east door opens to the minister’s house.
- the west door opens towards a crossroad.
Its brickwork and tiling should also be mentioned and considered as one of this structure’s unique and beautifying features.
With such magnificent architecture, Qazvin bazaar has become one of the best sightseeing places of Qazvin city, and it is always pleasant for tourists roam in it. The historic timche and shops and the ancient public bath, and other parts of the bazaar have created a spectacular scene. Saraye Saad al-Saltaneh in the Bazaar was built in the Qajar period. Its crossroads (crossings) section has unique architectural value, and its tiled dome has given it more charm. This structure is one of the most significant commercial buildings in Iran.
The Minister’s Palace in front of the bazaar door has a tiled arch and a brick dome. The tiles have spectacular designs. Another feature is its expansive yard. This courtyard has two-story rooms. Haj Reza House is also one of the other parts of the Bazaar. An expansive yard and many rooms have given it a timcheh look. It is connected with Bazarcheh Wazir. In this section, you can see pleasant tiling.
Razavi section was built during the time of Shah Tahmaseb Safavid and has two porches. Its two parts have many rooms, and the tiling of its dome is exemplary. Timcheh Sarbaz is also two-tiered; its tiles have designs of flowers and birds painted on them. The wooden door frame is also magnificent. It should also be mentioned that the covered Timcheh has a covered roof. Seyyed Kazem’s Timcheh is also in the middle of the Bazaar and has been a place for leather sellers. In the same way, let’s mention Timcheh Darvish, which is now open in its historical form.
It is difficult and time-consuming to enumerate every part of the Qazvin Bazaar. Only by seeing it can one realize one of the architectural masterpieces of Iran’s Bazaars: A structure that is still the pulse of the economy and commerce of the old city of Qazvin.
