Tabriz Bazaar

Tabriz sat on the Silk Road where routes from Anatolia, the Caucasus and Central Asia converged, and its bazaar grew into one of the largest covered market complexes in the world - kilometres of brick-vaulted passages, caravanserais, mosques, schools and bathhouses under one continuous roof, UNESCO-listed as a complete example of the type. Sections specialise: the carpet bazaar is the most famous, since Tabriz has been a centre of Persian carpet weaving for centuries, alongside gold, spices, shoes and household goods. Marco Polo passed through and described it. It remains a working market rather than a heritage attraction.

History

Tabriz has been a place of exchange since antiquity, and a bazaar has stood on this site since the early Islamic period; a long line of writers describe it, from al-Maqdisi in the 10th century and Yaqut around 1213 to Marco Polo, who claimed to have passed through in 1271, Ibn Battuta around 1330 and Jean-Baptiste Tavernier in the 17th century. The bazaar was at its most prosperous in the 16th century, when Tabriz was the capital of Safavid Iran; the city lost that status in the 17th century, but the bazaar stayed a commercial hub for the region and the Silk Road, divided into rows for gold and jewellery, hand-woven carpets, shoes and produce, and despite new shops and malls it remains the economic heart of the city and of northwestern Iran (Wikipedia, Bazaar of Tabriz).

What's there

• The carpet bazaar - the celebrated section of the complex.
• The brick vaulting - domed and arched ceilings throughout.
• The caravanserai courtyards - old trading yards inside the complex.
• Timche Mozaffariyeh - the most elegant of the domed halls.

When to go

Spring and autumn are pleasant; Tabriz has cold winters and hot summers. The bazaar is closed Fridays and quieter during religious holidays. Mornings are the busiest and most atmospheric trading hours.

Good to know

It is enormous and easy to get lost in - a guide or at least a rough plan helps, and shopkeepers will happily point you around. Carpet purchases involve extended tea and negotiation; buying without understanding what you are looking at is expensive. Photography inside is generally fine but ask before photographing traders. The usual Iran practicalities apply: cash only, dress rules, visa in advance.

Nearby

The Blue Mosque, El Goli park and the Kandovan cave village outside the city.

Key facts