After renovations that took place in Tehran’s Oudlajan market in the past years, it is quite long since it has turned into a sightseeing place for those who, while in the south of the city, want to visit a historical market that contains a lot of goods and has a different atmosphere. The market reconstruction in the old Oudlajan ws done in 1395 (2016).
Construction of Oudlajan place dates back to the Safavid period and Shah Tahmasb’s reign (about 400 years ago). At that time, Tehran was a small village next to the big city of Rey. Oudlajan was mainly known as a Jewish neighborhood. Later, it expanded, and its extent reached three kilometers and accommodated ten thousand houses. If we count the Arg, Sangalaj, and Chalmeydan neighborhoods, Oudlajan was one of the oldest neighborhoods of Tehran village during the Safavid period. This historic spot is considered part of the 12th section of Tehran, surrounded by Amirkabir, Ray, Naser Khosro, and Panzdah Khordad streets and has an area of 150 hectares. Current Odlajan includes three neighborhoods: Imamzadeh Yahya, Pamnar, and Naser Khosrow. Of course, it was bigger than its present area in the past and many years ago.
Old Odlajan
Oudlajan was one of the important parts of Tehran, until the end of Qajar kingdom. It was known as a center for the city’s government administrators. It was also a place where the wealthy, and well known politicians lived. But during the reign of Pahlavi I and the years that followed, Oudlajan lost its grandeur and parts of it were lost in city planning. Many of the residents moved to other parts, and other groups took their place. During the same period, Oudlajan was divided into three parts.
It was during its prosperity times that its historic market was built, and the entire neighborhood was impacted by the economic bustle of the market, meaning that Oudlajan became a place for trading and exchanging goods; and many workshops and commercial departments were built in that historical context.
Several bazaars were built in old Odlajan. However, the primary market was in the middle of the neighborhood. Another bazaar in Oudlajan was called Hamam Nawab bazaar, which was built in the eastern part of Oudlajan and is still standing. Marvi Bazaar is also in the western part of the neighborhood, and with the renovations done there, it is known as one of the sightseeing parts of Tehran.
Oudlajan market is located in the western part of the neighborhood. It starts from Khordad 15 Street, continues to the old context, and connects to the Pamnar neighborhood through Hajiha and Moshir Khalvat streets. These two streets (Hajiha and Moshir Khalvat) are the most critical parts of the Oudlajan market and have a historical texture with old houses. With renovations done in the last few years, this market now sells handicrafts, handmade bags, shoes and other works of art. During its prosperous years, the market had more than 1100 shops and a school was also built there. In addition, the number of houses in the neighborhood exceeded 2,600, considered one of the most populated parts of Tehran. The neighborhood’s fabric was wholly connected with the market and influenced by its business style. This means that most of the residents of the Odlajan neighborhood were engaged in trade, and their profession was connected with the big market of the area. The neighborhood was beautiful, and many old trees made its atmosphere green and pleasant. Some of the capital’s most important buildings were also located in this neighborhood and its market, giving it a particular socio-economic body. During religious and national celebrations and mourning, the Oudlajan market played an important role. It was an essential and stable center for the establishment of such ceremonies.
The streets and alleys of the neighborhood also led to the big market of Oudlajan, such as Shotor Galu passage, Howz Mosque passage, Nezam-ul-Ulama Pass, Sardar passage, Sepehdar passage, Sohrab Khan passage, Naqarechi passage, and some other passages and alleys that we mentioned earlier. such prosperity and reputation, until the 1940s, gave Oudlajan a unique status and a credit to this neighborhood of the capital city. But later, its market was more or less empty until years ago, when they started to renovate it to restore its historical context.
We mentioned earlier that the Oudlajan neighborhood and market suffered much damage over time. An example happened in 1390 when parts of its historical bazaar collapsed (ISNA report – Bahman 1400). The rain worsened the damage upto the point where an emergency renovation of this bazaar was necessary.
There was another kind of destruction too. For example, 50 meters from Oudlajan market, “Saraye Delgosha,” was demolished to build a commercial complex (ISNA report). For this purpose, nearly 20 meters of digging was done, an act that, according to reporters, “took away the life of a historic complex”. However, now, Oudlajan has regained some of the color of its glorious past, and you can still walk in the market and feel its historical atmosphere! This market is one of the historic symbols of Tehran, and therefore worth keeping its identity alive.
