Besides the architecture and economic values of Iranian historical and traditional markets, their importance in the development of culture should not be ignored. People who frequented the markets, with their different cultures and beliefs, would get to know each other better. In this way, getting familiar with cultures, customs and religions would be possible. The market was also a field for studying the society (sociology). Hamedan Bazaar, located in the center of a city with a history of several thousand years, has had such a function and role in this city’s historical and cultural passage.
Even now, in our time, in addition to longstanding social function, the historical market of Hamedan is a desirable target for historical tourism. In this bazar various goods and food are offered to the shoppers; and handicraft of utmost beauty and artistry are displayed.
Hamedan and its market
A part of Hamedan’s traditional market is known as Golshan Caravanserai. This structure remains from the Safavid period and is the oldest part of the market. However, what is now known as the market is one of the structures built in Hamedan during the Qajar period, and other parts were added to it during the Pahlavi period. It was in the 1330s (1050s) that, as a result of an unwise act the arched roof of the bazaar was removed. The damage that followed became obvious very soon, and they had to build a wooden and patched roof over the market.
From ancient times, Hamedan has been an import city and a place for caravans and travelers to pass through, who traveled the West and the East and went from one town to another and spent a short or long time in Hamedan on their way and undoubtedly visited its market. Sometimes, they sold their goods to shopkeepers, and sometimes, they bought the goods of Hamedani artisans and their handicrafts.
At the time when trade and political ties between Iran and Europe strengthened, merchants, tourists, and diplomats visited the Hamedan market and other historical monuments. Those who wrote their experience in their travelogue described the city’s market and acknowledged the high volume of goods being exchanged, and also its flourishing business transactions.
One of those visitors to the Hamedan historical market was American William Jackson. He, who knew Iran well, visited our country in the first decade of the 20th century and went to Hamedan. In his book “Iran in the past and present”, translated into Farsi, described Iran during the reign of Muzafar-al-din Shah Qajar. He wrote about its economic, political, and cultural situation. He called the Hamedan market “Iran’s warehouse” because of the volume of goods and their economic value! In particular, he mentioned the high-quality leathers of Hamedan, which were abundantly found in the market of this city, and also the leather hats, which, in his opinion, “are not made anywhere in Iran better than Hamedan.” Other foreign travel writers who came to Iran in the distant past have mentioned the Hamedan market.
Features of the Hamedan market
The important point is that Hamedan’s cold winters was taken into account when building the market. It was built compact and interconnected. However, later, at the beginning of the first decade of 1300 (1921 AD), changes were made to the market. New streets were built, and the compact texture of the market was affected. Mainly because, with such projects, the market’s network of different section was damaged. The reason for tampering with the historical texture of the bazaar was that in that decade, western methods were being copied, when building Iranian cities. As a result the most damage was done to the old structure of the cities and their different sections (such as the historic markets of the city). The same damage was done to the Hamedan’s traditional market, causing disconnection between the different sections.
In the 1930s, with the construction of Ekbatan Street in Hamedan and its passage through the market center, irreparable damage was done to this historical part of the city. The houses of Mirza Bagher, Mirza Hassan Khan, and Timcheh Saderi were destroyed.
The market’s structure has more than 30 passages and each passage is occupied by a specific type of craft. The “seras” (cluster of shops) are also numerous, and perhaps the most famous of them is the qalamdani passage, which situated in the north-west of the market, and the arrays of its pediments are spectacular. It is so stunning that it is considered the same as Tehran’s Golestan Palace from the point of view of plasterers. Because this house has the form and body of a miniature pencil case, and from this point of view, it is also very worthy of viewing, it has become famous as a pencil case house. In this palace, you can find paper, pens, calligraphy tools, and everything related to stationery and commercial documents.
About the architectural value of Hamedan bazaar’s “seras” it is said that some of them are valuable and important. In contrast, others are simple and unorganized and cannot be recognized as having exceptional value. What is left of the old seras of Hamedan market are 40 in total. The names of some them are, for example, zoghaliha (charcoal sellers), knife makers, confectioners, pharmacies, goldsmith, etc.
Another part of the Hamedan market is its caravanserais. Caravanserai such as a central courtyard and is built of two stories. There is a place where rugs, fabrics and handwoven crafts are sold. Public baths, bakeries and grocery stories are among other parts of the market.
The current situation of the Hamedan market
Unfortunately, Hamedan’s ancient market, a manifestation of architecture art and one of the city’s sightseeing places has burned several times. In May 2013, the extent of the market fire burned down passages such as the grocery passages and stationery passages. Between 1389 and 1394 solar years, Hamedan bazaar was burnt four times (IRNA news agency report – Amordad 1394). These events were caused by “defects in the power supply and wiring system.”
It is sad to see a part of any historical structure disappear. Worse than that is the destruction of structures that are still playing an important role in the people’s social lives. Much more effort should be put in their maintenance so that one one hand, historical heritage of are land remains intact and on the other hand the people’s social life is not hampered.
