Bazaar of Tabriz
Encyclopedia
Bazaar
A bazaar , Cypriot Greek: pantopoula) is a permanent merchandising area, marketplace, or street of shops where goods and services are exchanged or sold. The term is sometimes also used to refer to the "network of merchants, bankers and craftsmen" who work that area...
s of the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and the largest covered bazar in the world. It was inscribed as World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
in July 2010.
Tabriz
Tabriz
Tabriz is the fourth largest city and one of the historical capitals of Iran and the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. Situated at an altitude of 1,350 meters at the junction of the Quri River and Aji River, it was the second largest city in Iran until the late 1960s, one of its former...
has been a place of cultural exchange since antiquity and its historic bazaar complex is one of the most important commercial centres on the Silk Road. Located in the center of the city of Tabriz
Tabriz
Tabriz is the fourth largest city and one of the historical capitals of Iran and the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. Situated at an altitude of 1,350 meters at the junction of the Quri River and Aji River, it was the second largest city in Iran until the late 1960s, one of its former...
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, this spectacular structure consists of several sub-bazaars, such as Amir Bazaar (for gold and jewelry), Mozzafarieh (a carpet bazaar), a shoe bazaar, and many other ones for various goods. The most prosperous time of Tabriz and its bazaar was in 13th century when the town became the capital city of the Safavid kingdom. The city lost its status as a capital in the 16th century, but its bazaar has remained important as a commercial and economic center.
Although, numerous modern shops and malls have been established nowadays, the bazaar of Tabriz has remained the economic heart of both the city and northwestern of Iran.
It is worthy of mention that Tabriz bazaar has been being an important political place, and one can point out its importance in the Iranian Constitutional Revolution
Iranian Constitutional Revolution
The Persian Constitutional Revolution or Iranian Constitutional Revolution took place between 1905 and 1907...
in the last century and Islamic Revolution in the contemporary time.
The bazaar is used for some important religious ceremonies. The most famous one is Day of Ashura
Day of Ashura
The Day of Ashura is on the 10th day of Muharram in the Islamic calendar and marks the climax of the Remembrance of Muharram.It is commemorated by Shia Muslims as a day of mourning for the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad at the Battle of Karbala on 10...
during which merchants cease trading for about 10 days and religious ceremonies are held inside the bazaar. Like other bazaars in Middle East, there are several mosques constructed behind the bazaar, the most notable of them being Jome' Mosque
Jamee mosque of Tabriz
The Jāmeh Mosque is a large, congregational mosque in Tabrīz city, within the East Azerbaijan Province of Iran. It is located in the Bazaar suburb of Tabriz next to the Grand Bazaar of Tabriz and the Constitutional House of Tabriz.- See also :...
.
See also
- TabrizTabrizTabriz is the fourth largest city and one of the historical capitals of Iran and the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. Situated at an altitude of 1,350 meters at the junction of the Quri River and Aji River, it was the second largest city in Iran until the late 1960s, one of its former...
- Jamee mosque of TabrizJamee mosque of TabrizThe Jāmeh Mosque is a large, congregational mosque in Tabrīz city, within the East Azerbaijan Province of Iran. It is located in the Bazaar suburb of Tabriz next to the Grand Bazaar of Tabriz and the Constitutional House of Tabriz.- See also :...
- Constitutional Revolution House of Tabriz
External links
- 360 degree view from Mozaffarie Alley in Tabriz Bazar
- Virtual Museum of Historical Buildings of Tabriz (School of Architecture, Tabriz Islamic Art University).
- Tabriz Islamic Art University (دانشگاه هنر اسلامی تبریز), Tabriz, Iran (in Persian). http://www.tabriziau.ac.ir/default.aspx
- Iranian Student's Tourism & Traveling Agency, ISTTA. (English), (Persian)
- Tabriz Bazar Info
- The Grand Bazaar of Tabriz, Jadid Online, 30 October 2008, http://www.jadidonline.com/story/30102008/frnk/tabriz_bazzar_eng (in English).
Hamid-Rezā Hosseini, The Largest Bazaar of Iran, Jadid Online, 4 October 2008, http://www.jadidonline.com/story/04102008/frnk/tabriz_bazzar (in Persian).
Audio slideshow (with English subtitles): http://www.jadidonline.com/images/stories/flash_multimedia/Tabriz_bazzar_eng_test/bazzar_high.html (5 min 54 sec).