Historical bazaar in Tabriz

Historical bazaar in Tabriz
UNESCO world heritage
Muzaffariyya
National territory:	Iran
Type:	Culture
Criteria :	(ii), (iii), (iv)
Surface:	28.9733 ha
Reference No .:	1346
UNESCO region :	Asia and Pacific
History of enrollment
Enrollment:	2010  (session 34)

The Historical Bazaar in Tabriz ( Persian بازار تبریز) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Iran .

Tabriz was one of the most important stops on the historic Silk Road . The bazaar first flourished in the 13th century, when Tabriz was the capital of the Safavid Empire . Even when Tabriz lost its status as the capital in the 16th century, the city, and with it its bazaar, remained an economic center until the end of the 18th century.

The bazaar complex consists of interconnected buildings made of brick masonry , which served different purposes. The bazaar was not only a place of exchange of goods, but also of social life. There were schools and religious institutions here.

description

World Heritage Zones

The area of ​​the Historical Bazaar of Tabriz, which has been placed under protection as World Heritage, includes the following areas:

• the preserved center of the Grand Bazaar;
• Goi Machid ( Blue Mosque ) with the preserved remains of three smaller bazaars that connect the mosque with the center of the bazaar;
• Sorkhāb Bāzārkhāsi , a small bazaar with old buildings.

The buffer zone (75,408 hectares) is practically identical to the old town of Tabriz within the city walls. The surrounding cultural landscape zone (492,823 hectares) has been designated to prevent the construction of high-rise buildings in the vicinity of the Grand Bazaar.

Building types

Sārās

A large courtyard is framed by one or two story buildings made up of rows of separate rooms. Goods could be stored here, but the facility was also suitable for residential purposes. Because of the many social tasks sārās performed, they were carefully designed. Of the 26 sārās that are still preserved in Tabriz, the following are of particular architectural interest: Mirzā-Jalil , Jafariya and Amir Sarāyi .

Timchas

In the functions with the Saras v ergleichbar, offered timchas less comfort. They were roofed over, often with intricate vaults. In the individual rooms of these building ensembles, particularly valuable goods were traded, which were also stored here. Of the twenty timchas in Tabriz, Muzaffariyya and Amir Timchasi are the most important.

Road network

A bazaar street is called a rasta . The individual shops are lined up on both sides of a straight, often covered street. In Tabriz, the main bazaar streets run parallel in a north-south direction and are connected by cross streets in a west-east direction. A covered connection between two parallel cross streets is called chārsug . There are four of these vaulted streets, two of which are noteworthy: Sādiqiyya and Butchular chārsug . Covered connecting streets are called dālān ; Trade takes place in these streets too. Of the 21 dālāns in Tabriz, the most important two are Gāni dālān and Khān dālān .

Small bazaars

Eight small bazaars that served the local supply of goods were considered to be parts of the Grand Bazaar. They are located within the portals of the bazaar and connect the central areas of the large bazaar with the periphery. The Sorkhāb Bāzārkhāsi is one of the oldest parts of the bazaar; other small bazaars connect the Blue Mosque with the center of the Grand Bazaar.

Mosques

Gan Dallazan Bazaar

There are 28 mosques in the Tabriz Historical Bazaar, two of which are particularly prominent.

Jumā-Machidi is an old mosque, which was destroyed in an earthquake in 1814 and rebuilt in a simplified manner. It has a Kufi inscription from the Il Khanate . The Blue Mosque ( Goi-Machid ) was damaged in the same earthquake and its restoration was only completed shortly before it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

More buildings

There are also five schools, three libraries, five hammams , an ice chamber and a high school in the bazaar .

World Heritage Criteria

Map of Tabriz in the 16th century

Criterion II

The Tabriz bazaar is one of the most important historical trading centers in Asia. It shows a special urban architecture that has been adapted to socio-economic life over a long period of time. It shows that trading on the Silk Road brought prosperity to many of the city's citizens.

Criterion III

The Tabriz bazaar is an architectural expression of a traditional urban way of life that has existed to the present day. It is characterized by the fact that buildings used for trade are connected in a characteristic way with schools and religious institutions to form a city district. Here people from different cultures found a common living space. Specialized professions were exercised, which can also be seen in the architecture.

Criterion IV

This criterion emphasizes the multifunctionality of the bazaar complex, in which the buildings, which served different, sometimes very specialized purposes, were architecturally connected to form ensembles. The bazaar complex thus becomes almost a single overall complex in which the individual structures are integrated.

Integrity and authenticity

The bazaar complex is still essentially the same as it was in the 18th century. The various specializations are easy to read from the architecture and often still correspond to the current use. A good source of sources makes it possible to understand the structural development of the bazaar complex over the centuries. The earthquake of 1780 formed a turning point. The subsequent construction and repairs clearly show the high level of craftsmanship and the style of their time. Today the bazaar has no museum character, it is still a lively and economically active part of the city.

Protection and management of the world heritage site

In 1975 the Tabriz bazaar was placed under protection as a cultural monument. Since then, three zones have been designated: the core zone, the buffer zone and the cultural landscape. Different rules apply to the approval of construction work. The Iranian Cultural Heritage, Crafts and Tourism Organization (ICHHTO) is the authority charged with preserving the world heritage.

Web links

Commons : Historical bazaar in Tabriz  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Historical bazaar in Tabriz on the UNESCO World Heritage Center website ( English and French ).
• ICOMOS report on the World Heritage nomination: Tabriz Historic Bazaar (Iran) No 1346 ( PDF )

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} ICOMOS: Tabriz Historic Bazaar (Iran) No 1346. In: UNESCO. P. 133 , accessed November 2, 2018 . 
2. ^ Tabriz Historic Bazaar Complex. In: UNESCO. Retrieved November 2, 2018 . 

Coordinates: 38 ° 4 ′ 51 ″  N , 46 ° 17 ′ 32 ″  E