Vakil Bazaar
The concentration of many attractions such as historical monuments, charming gardens, tombs and various museums, has made Shiraz one of the top tourist destinations. Among these sights, Vakil Bazaar of Shiraz is one of the most famous. Join Persiana Travel and Tourism Agency to become familiar with Vakil Bazaar of Shiraz.
About Vakil Bazaar
In every city in Iran, you will find ordinary groceries, to political discussions and the production of local crafts. The city of Shiraz was the capital of the country during the reign of Karim Khan Zand, so Shiraz is like a treasure that the bazaar is where everything happens. From the that contains many monuments. In the meantime, Vakil Bazaar is like the beating heart of this city, which is still considered as the commercial center of Shiraz. Vakil Bazaar is just one part of a large collection of Vakil, which includes a bath, a mosque and a Vakil’s reservoir.. Vakil Bazaar is situated next to Vakil Mosque, that was built by the order of Karim Khan Zand and right in the middle of Shiraz city.
For this reason, right in the middle of Vakil Bazaar, there are four long bazaars with five large doors and four inns. The wide path, along with its stunning architecture and the creation of natural air conditioning facilities with multiplicative arches, have made Vakil Bazaar a lovely historical monument. At the four corners of Vakil Bazaar, on a large porch, a very large and high multiplicative arch is built, which is considered an architectural masterpiece.
The interesting thing about the arch of Vakil Bazaar is that although it is more than two hundred years old, there is no gap between it. The Vakil Bazaar in Shiraz is particularly colorful and for tourists it is among the top things to do in Shiraz. In Vakil Bazaar you will not only find the colorful dresses of Qashqai women, you will also find their unique traditional carpets. Vakil Bazaar is the bazaars of drapers, wholesalers, saddlers, and silk sellers make up the main sections of Vakil Bazaar Vakil Bazaar was registered by the Cultural Heritage Organization in July 1936.
History of Vakil Bazaar
It seems that when Karim Khan Zand had gone to the city of Lar to revolt, seeing the Qaisaria Bazaar made him to build a similar Bazaar in Shiraz to create a place for business and economic gatherings of the people of Shiraz. According to historical records, the construction of Vakil Bazaar in Shiraz began by order of Karim Khan Zand in 1759. After 21 years, in 1779, the final stages of Vakil Bazaar construction had completed.
With the completion of the construction, the rooms of Vakil Bazaar became a place for all business affairs, buying and selling foreign and domestic goods, issuing and receiving remittances and exchange affairs, so Vakil Bazaar became the economic center of the capital of Iran at that time. Vakil Bazaar, like all old bazaars in Iran, has different parts that are named based on the type and category of shops in which they operate. Like Bazazan Bazaar, Coppersmiths Bazaar, Hat makers Bazaar, Blacksmiths and Swordsmen Bazaar. You can enter the Vakil Bazaar through 5 entrance doors.
Architecture of Shiraz Vakil Bazaar
Like all traditional bazaars of Iran, the various sections of the Vakil Bazaar were traditionally known by specific names, such as Vakil Bazaar, Blacksmith Bazaar, Hatter Bazaar. At present, despite the current state of economic affairs and trade in the Vakil Bazaar, the main spirit of the bazaar is preserved. Different parts of the bazaar are marked on the signs with names such as South Vakil Bazaar and Ruhollah Bazaar. Vakil Bazaar building is made of plaster, brick and lime, and the columns are made of stone, that making Vakil Bazaar one of the strongest buildings of its era.
The roof of intersection of vakil Bazaar used to be about 11 meters high, but now its height has been reduced to 10 meters due to the embankment of the bazaar’s floor. Previously, there was a large marble pool under the roof of intersection of Vakil Bazaar, and its water was supplied from a waterway.
At present, the marble basin has been destroyed due to the rising bazaar level but the waterway still exists. On the south side of intersection of Vakil Bazaar, there is another bazaar the entrance of which is in front of the Vakil Mosque and is known as the Swordsmen Bazaar. This bazaar also has 11 pairs of shops. The air conditioning system of Vakil Bazaar was perfect due to the high height of the vaulted roof of bazaar, and was done by simple wind deflectors. There were also vents called openings or horns under the roof that provided enough air and light to the Vakil Bazaar. Now, after the restoration of these openings, they have been closed, and at the top of the shops of Vakil Bazaar, there are grilles for air conditioning and lighting.
Different parts of Vakil Bazaar
New Bazaar
This part of Vakil Bazaar was built by Mirza Yousef Ashrafi Mazandarani, one of the ministers of Fars Province. In this long line of Vakil Bazaar you will find everything you want to buy.
Chahar Souq or Intersection
This part of Vakil Bazaar is a place where the two main lines or ranges of bazaar (north-south and east-west) meet each other and create a space like a crossroad. The use of arches and engraved corners of this part creates the most eye-catching architecture of the Vakil Bazaar. In the past, there was a marble pool in this place, but unfortunately it was buried during the operation to raise the ground level of Vakil Bazaar.
North line
This line is one of the main rows of the Vakil Bazaar, which includes 82 shops and 48 arches. In this line you can find cashmere and hat embroidery shops. This line of Vakil Bazaar starts from the gate of Isfahan and continues until intersection part of bazaar.
Southern line
This line of Vakil Bazaar, which is known as the line of merchants (cloth sellers), consists of 22 shops. Most shops in this area selling various handicrafts of Shiraz, but in the past, this shop was a place for making cold weapon.
Saraye Moshir
This part of Vakil Bazaar is also known as Saraye Golshan, is actually separate from Vakil Bazaar, but everyone knows it as a part of the bazaar. It is located on the south side of Vakil Bazaar. This part of Vakil Bazaar is one of the most beautiful parts with a large octagonal pool in the middle. The citrus trees around the pond make this section more beautiful. In Saraye Moshir, you can see valuable handicrafts such as inlay, mosaic, engraving on copper and brass, precious stones and so on.
Vakil Bazaar is one of the most charming traditional attractions of Iran made of an intersection with a domed arch and four bazaars perpendicular to each other. Persiana Travel and Tourism Agency suggests you to visit Vakil Bazaar of Shiraz to get familiar with traditional architecture and art of Iran and visiting the hustle and bustle of it.