Grand Bazaar of Tehran

The Tehran bazaar is a covered network of something like ten kilometres of lanes in the southern part of the city, organised in the traditional way by trade, so there are corridors of carpets, gold, copper, spices, textiles, paper and shoes, with caravanserais, mosques, banks and a few very old teahouses among them. Most of the present structure is nineteenth century, built up as Tehran grew into a capital, though the market is older. It remains the commercial heart of the country in a real sense: a large share of national trade passes through it and the bazaari merchants have historically had considerable weight. For visitors it is above all a working place rather than a tourist market, and the food alleys are as much of a draw as the goods.

History

It is hard to say when the bazaar first appeared, but in the centuries after the Muslim conquest of Iran travellers reported trade growing in the area it now occupies, and part of it predates the growth of Tehran in the Safavid era. Western travellers reported that by 1660 the bazaar was still largely open and only partly covered, and it was added to the Iran National Heritage List on 24 October 1977 (Wikipedia, Grand Bazaar, Tehran).

What to look for

• Trade-organised corridors - separate lanes for gold, carpets, copper and spice.
• Nineteenth-century vaulted arcades - the built fabric of the market.
• Caravanserais within the bazaar - courtyards opening off the lanes.
• Food alleys - long-established places to eat inside the market.

When to go

April to June and September to November. Half a day. Mornings to early afternoon on Saturday to Wednesday; Thursdays are shorter and Fridays it is closed. It is extremely crowded at all working hours.

Practical notes

It is crowded to the point of difficulty and easy to get lost in. Fridays it is shut. Photography of people needs care. Carpet sellers are persistent with foreign visitors. The surrounding streets are congested and hard to navigate.

Nearby

Golestan Palace is a short walk; the National Museum lies north.

Key facts