The maze of bustling alleys and the bazaris (shopkeepers) that fill them make a fascinating, if somewhat daunting, place to explore. Traders have been hawking their wares on this site for nearly 1000 years, but most of what you see today is less than 200 years old and is no architectural jewel. The bazaris are a conservative bunch and there will be far more chadors than bleached hair here.

The bazaar’s covered stores line more than 10km of lanes and there are several entrances, but it’s worth using the main entrance, in a square opposite Bank Melli. The warren of people and goods is a city within a city and includes guesthouses, banks, a church, a fire station and several mosques, most notably the big, busy but relatively unadorned Imam Khomeini Mosque, which is a good place to quietly watch Islam in action. Most lanes specialise in a particular commodity: copper, paper, gold, spices and carpets, among others.

You’ll also find tobacconists, shoemakers, tailors, broadcloth sellers, bookbinders, flag sellers, haberdashers, saddlers, tinsmiths, knife-makers and carpenters. The carpet, nut and spice bazaars might be the most photogenic, but the lane of stores selling fake designer labels (literally labels, not clothes) also catches the eye.

In our experience there are two ways to visit the bazaar, a place that cartographers seem never to have fully conquered. One is to simply wander the labyrinth of streets and alleys, taking whichever direction you fancy and just going with the flow. You’ll almost certainly get lost but will soon enough be found by a helpful local; remember to walk uphill to the main exit.

The other is to allow yourself to be befriended by one of the carpet salesmen. Tell them what sections of the bazaar you’d like to see (the gold bazaar, spices bazaar, the mosque etc), and they will lead you. When you’re done, they will expect you to visit their carpet shop, drink some tea and view a few rugs – which in itself is quite fun (carpet prices here are probably the best in Iran).

Try and visit in the morning, when business is brisk but not yet frantic, as it becomes at lunchtime when the chance of being run over by a piece of fast-moving haulage equipment is high. /lonely planet

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Tabriz and its Bazaar were already prosperous and famous in the 13th century, when the town, in the province of Eastern Azerbaijan, became the capital city of the Safavid kingdom. The city lost its status as capital in the 16th century, but remained important as a commercial hub until the end of the 18th century, with the expansion of Ottoman power. It is one of the most complete examples of the traditional commercial and cultural system of Iran.

Ensemble du bazar historique de Tabriz

Lieu d’échange culturel depuis l’Antiquité, l’ensemble du bazar historique de Tabriz est l’un des plus importants centres de commerce le long de la Route de la Soie. L’ensemble du bazar historique de Tabriz se compose d’une série d’enceintes et de structures couvertes en briques reliées entre elles et d’enceintes aux fonctions variées. Tabriz et son bazar étaient déjà prospères et célèbres au 13e siècle, lorsque Tabriz, située dans la province d’Azerbaïdjan-Oriental, devint la capitale du royaume safavide. La ville, qui perdit son statut de capitale au XVIe siècle, conserva son rôle de pôle commercial majeur jusqu’à la fin du XVIIIe siècle avec l’essor du pouvoir ottoman. Il s’agit d’un des exemples les plus complets de système commercial et culturel traditionnel d’Iran.
Conjunto del bazar histórico de Tabriz

Lugar de intercambios culturales desde la Antigüedad, el bazar histórico de Tabriz fue uno de los centros comerciales más importantes de la Ruta de la Seda. Integrado por una serie de estructuras y recintos, edificados en ladrillo y cubiertos, que comunican entre sí, este bazar gozaba ya de una gran prosperidad y fama en el siglo XIII, cuando la ciudad de Tabriz, situada en la provincia del Azerbaiyán Oriental, se convirtió en capital del Imperio Safávida. Más tarde, en el siglo XVI, Tabriz perdió su condición de capital, pero siguió siendo un emporio comercial de primera importancia hasta finales del siglo XVIII con el auge del poder otomano. El conjunto del bazar es uno de los ejemplos más completos de los sistemas tradicionales comerciales y culturales del Irán.

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