Amin od-Dowleh Plaza (Persian: تیمچه امین الدوله -Timche-Amin od-Dowleh) is one of several plazas in the grand

Bazaar of Kashan Bazaar of Kashan ( ''Bāzār-e Kāshān'') is a bazaar in the center of the city of Kashan, Iran. See also *Iranian architecture * List of historical Iranian architects *History of Persian domes Buildings and structures completed in the 13th ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. The plaza was designed primarily for commerce, but in recent times has been used for important religious ceremonies. The most important of these is

Muharram Al-Muharram () is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year when warfare is banned. It precedes the month of Safar. The tenth of Muharram is known as Ashura, an important day of commemoration in ...

, during which Hai'ats sing elegies in the plaza about tragic events which happened to

Hussain Hussein, Hossein, Hussain, Hossain, Huseyn, Husayn, Husein, Hussin, Hoessein, Houcine, Hocine or Husain (; ), coming from the triconsonantal root Ḥ-S-N (), is an Arabic name which is the diminutive of Hassan, meaning "good", "handsome" or ...

, the third

Shi'a Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor ( caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community ( imam). However, his right is understoo ...

Imam, and his close relatives in

Karbala Karbala is a major city in central Iraq. It is the capital of Karbala Governorate. With an estimated population of 691,100 people in 2024, Karbala is the second largest city in central Iraq, after Baghdad. The city is located about southwest ...

on the day of Ashura. It used to be an important place on the

Silk Road The Silk Road was a network of Asian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over , it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between the ...

. Its chambers traditionally served as a place for trading rugs woven, either woven in the city or imported. There are also some old antique shops and teahouses in the Timche plaza.

References

Buildings and structures in Kashan Caravanserais in Iran Buildings and structures on the Iran National Heritage List {{Iran-struct-stub