Irani markets or Bazaars - quite the rabbit hole -
are vital to its citizens & traders.
Bazaars across Iran craft a distinctiveness simply based on their location,
sometimes within the city center
and sometimes a little away from the mainland.
An Irani saying describes perfectly what one can expect to find here -
‘’ the life of a human to the milk of a chicken.’’
Vakil Bazaar in the southern city of Shiraz is the heartbeat of the town
where apart from a host of merchants,
the bazaar also houses beautiful courtyards, mosques and old bathhouses.
At the epicenter of this bazaar is the spice market
where one can find key ingredients of everyday Iranian cooking...
Omani limu, dried mint, quince, barberry,
kashk or dried yogurt,
tea flowers and a plethora of other day to day items.
Similarly Tehran has few prominent Bazaars as well
like the Tajrish bazaar,
the entrance of which opens up to a magnificent view of Darband's snowcapped mountains
while its narrow lanes form somewhat of a maze for first timers
and is filled with mostly handcrafted persian pottery shops,
dry fruit shops
and some of which display the prized Iranian Saffron
not just in few grams,
but in colossal glass tower
that could easily be valued over a few thousand dollars at the least.
At one end of this bazaar is the fresh vegetable and fruit market
while the other end and the outer facade is lined with fast food outlets.
But the mother of all and rightfully called 'The Grand Bazaar'
is the oldest and biggest marketplace in Iran that spreads over 10kms.
Anything and everything under the sun is available here,
from dry fruits and fruit leathers
to clothes and security camera systems
to the glorious Irani rugs and carpets.
There are shops everywhere,
along the periphery, inside the various alleys,
all the way to the beautiful corridors
that sometimes open to mosque courtyards
and sometimes to other specialized shopping centers.
