The Grand Bazaar ( fa, بازار بزرگ ) is an old historical

bazaar A bazaar () or souk (; also transliterated as souq) is a marketplace consisting of multiple small Market stall, stalls or shops, especially in the Middle East, the Balkans, North Africa and India. However, temporary open markets elsewhere, suc ...

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. It is split into several corridors over in length, each specializing in different types of goods, and has several entrances, with Sabze-Meydan being the main entrance. In addition to shops, the Grand Bazaar contains

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

guest house A guest house (also guesthouse) is a kind of lodging. In some parts of the world (such as the Caribbean), guest houses are a type of inexpensive hotel-like lodging. In others, it is a private home that has been converted for the exclusive use o ...

s, and

bank A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Because ...

s. It has access to the rapid transit system of

Tehran Metro The Tehran Metro ( fa, مترو تهران, translit=Metro-ye Tehrān) is a rapid transit system serving Tehran, the capital of Iran. It is the largest metro system in the Middle East. The system is owned and operated by Tehran Urban and Subur ...

through the stations of Khayam and Khordad 15th.

History

Trade and early bazaars in Tehran

The area around Tehran has been settled since at least the 6th millennium BC, and while bazaar-like constructions in Iran as a whole have been dated as far back as the 4th millennium BC, Tehran's bazaar is not that old. It is hard to say exactly when the bazaar first appeared, but in the centuries after the

Muslim conquest of Iran The Muslim conquest of Persia, also known as the Arab conquest of Iran, was carried out by the Rashidun Caliphate from 633 to 654 AD and led to the fall of the Sasanian Empire as well as the eventual decline of the Zoroastrian religion. The r ...

, travelers reported the growth of commerce in the area now occupied by the current bazaar. The Grand Bazaar is thus a continuation of this legacy. Research indicates that a portion of today's bazaar predated the growth of the village of Tehran by the time of the

Safavid Empire Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (), also referred to as the Safavid Empire, '. was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often conside ...

, although it was during and after this period that the bazaar began to grow gradually. Western travelers reported that, by 1660 CE and beyond, the bazaar area had still been largely open and only partially covered.

Development

Despite relying heavily on this historical legacy, much of the bazaar itself was constructed much later. The oldest surviving buildings, that is to say, the walls and passages in the bazaar, rarely exceed 400 years, with many being constructed or rebuilt within the last 200 years. The bazaar grew as a "city within a city" for much of the 19th century, and was able to expand largely and without much outside interference. However, under the reign of

Reza Shah Reza Shah Pahlavi ( fa, رضا شاه پهلوی; ; originally Reza Khan (); 15 March 1878 – 26 July 1944) was an Iranian Officer (armed forces), military officer, politician (who served as Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics (Iran), ...

, as Tehran began to grow and reform exponentially in the early 20th century, the changes brought by this rapid development saw much of the bazaar disappear. The old sections of the bazaar are generally similar in architectural style, while the parts added in the 20th century often look remarkably different. Critics say that little consideration had been given for the construction of these new sections. However, in the late 20th century, some projects were undertaken in order to beautify the bazaar through the use of plaster moulding and decorative brickwork.

Bazaari

The bazaar is viewed as a force of

conservatism Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...

in the Iranian society, providing strong links between the clergy and the middle class traders. The

1979 Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...

received strong backing from these forces, and as one of the most important bazaars in the country, the Grand Bazaar of Tehran was a center for pro-revolutionary feeling and finance. There were several reasons why the bazaar class worked hard to help advance the revolution. The government of

Mohammed Reza Pahlavi Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monothe ...

was anathema to the

bazaari Bazaari (Persian: بازاری) is the merchant class and workers of bazaars, the traditional marketplaces of Iran. Bazaari are involved in "petty trade of a traditional, or nearly traditional, kind, centered on the bazaar and its Islamic culture ...

s, who seemed set to lose out as the country was being industrialized, and they feared that they would be left behind and their status in society would be reduced. Similarly, another concern for the bazaar class, not just in Tehran but throughout Iran, was that these traditional economic forces did not benefit from the 1974–1978 oil boom, and were thus even more inclined to aid the revolution. As such, the Grand Bazaar of Tehran was a hotbed of support for the revolution, which positioned itself opposite the monarchy. The Grand Bazaar continues largely to support the establishment, particularly as conservative political forces often adopt a low tax, laissez-faire approach to the bazaaris. Today, the Grand Bazaar is still an important place of commerce. However, much of the city's trade and finance has been moved to new gentrified and upscale parts of northern Tehran. In addition to traditional goods, the market for watches and local jewelry is apparently growing, most likely as a result of the growth of tourism. The bazaar is busiest around midday, and between 17:00 and 19:00.

Gallery

File:Bazaar de Teherán, Teherán, Irán, 2016-09-17, DD 45.jpg, Entrance to the bazaar. File:Grand Bazaar, Tehran 14.jpg,

Stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

inside the Grand Bazaar of Tehran. File:Mezquita Shah, Teherán, Irán, 2016-09-17, DD 47.jpg, Tehran's Shah Mosque is located next to the Grand Bazaar. File:Bazaar Tehran 3.jpg, The Shah Mosque's entrance to the Grand Bazaar of Tehran. File:Bazaar de Teherán, Teherán, Irán, 2016-09-17, DD 55.jpg, Inside a corridor at the Grand Bazaar of Tehran. File:بازار تهران 20.jpg, Ceilings of a corridor at the Grand Bazaar of Tehran. File:Tehran farsh bazar.jpg, Carpet shops inside the Grand Bazaar of Tehran. File:2011 Grand Bazaar Tehran 5984717290 by Kamyar Adl.jpg, An underwear shop inside the Grand Bazaar of Tehran. File:Tehran Bazaar 2002.jpg, Saray Roshan File:Tehran Bazaar protests 2018-06-25 06.jpg, Tehran Grand Bazaar during a strike to protest the economic situation on 25-06-2018. File:Grand Bazaar, Tehran.jpg, North entrance

References

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"Iransaga - Some Places of Interest in Tehran"
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"BBC News - Tehran bazaar feels winds of change"
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"About Tehran Bazaar in Tehran province"
Tourist Attractions. Web Archive 2006. #
Abbas "Bazaar, the achievement of the Islamic civilisation
A short history of the Tehran Bazaar" from The Newsletter of Chamber of Commerce, Feb. 1994 (Chamber of Commerce, Industries & Mines of the Islamic Republic of Iran). Web Archive 2007. #

# - ttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/138125.stm "Who is the mayor of Tehran?"#
"Iran Daily: Tehran Grand Bazaar To Get Facelift (Oct 12 2005)

External links

Tehran Grand Bazzar in google map
Buildings and structures in Tehran Architecture in Iran Bazaars in Iran Tourist attractions in Tehran National works of Iran {{Bazaars in Iran