The Bazaar of Arak is a

bazaar A bazaar or souk is a marketplace consisting of multiple small Market stall, stalls or shops, especially in the Middle East, the Balkans, Central Asia, North Africa and South Asia. They are traditionally located in vaulted or covered streets th ...

, located in Arak, in the province of Markazi,

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 ...

. It was one of the first constructed buildings in the city. The bazaar complex, containing a public bath, a mosque, water reservoirs, passages and caravansary, was built at the time of

Fath-Ali Shah Qajar Fath-Ali Shah Qajar (; 5 August 1772 – 24 October 1834) was the second Shah of Qajar Iran. He reigned from 17 June 1797 until his death on 24 October 1834. His reign saw the irrevocable ceding of Iran's northern territories in the Caucasus, com ...

and by Yusef Khan-e Gorji, in the middle of Sultan Abad (Arak's former name). This bazaar is centered at Chahr soogh, which is the junction of two north–south and east–west paths that end to four ancient city gates. The bazaar was added to the

Iran National Heritage List Iran National Heritage List is a register of nationally significant monuments, places, buildings, events, etc., officially registered under the National Heritage Preservation Act of 1930. According to Article 1 of this law, "All the industrial mon ...

on 1 November 1976, administered by the

Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran The Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of Iran () is an educational and research institution overseeing numerous associated museum complexes throughout Iran. It is administered and funded by the Government of Iran. It was f ...

History

The bazaar and the city of Sultan Abad (today Arak) were built simultaneously. Although it took a few years for the city to be built but no exact date has been recorded for the establishment of bazaar. As noted in historical texts it took about twenty years for the whole city to be built. Bazaar was built at the same time. The first buildings in Arak bazaar were built in 19th century by the order of the time governor of Arak, Sepahdar Aazm whose name has remained on a

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

and a school One reason to establish this bazaar was the strong economy around Sultan Abad. The high quality of agricultural products in

Persian Iraq Persian Iraq, also uncommonly spelled Persian Irak ( ''Erāq-e Ajam'' or ''Erāq-e Ajami''; ''ʿIrāq al-ʿAjam'' or ''al-ʿIrāq al-ʿAjamī'', literally, "Iraq of the Ajam"), is a historical region of the western parts of Iran. The region, ...

(Arak) and the world-famous

Sarouk Persian carpets A Sarouk rug is a type of Persian rug from Markazi province in Iran. Sarouk (also Saruk or Sarough) rugs are those woven in the village of Saruk and also the city of Arak and the surrounding countryside. Rug market Sarouk rugs have been produc ...

brought up the need to establish a central market to present these commodities was the momentum behind constructing city and the market.

Architecture

The Arak Bazaar Collection is based on a pre-designed plan. Unlike other bazaars here the paths are not free and curved, but routes are geometrically symmetrical. The bazaar, with its crossing alleyways, is an example of chess like texture of the ancient city of Sultan Abad. The special architectural design used keeps the inside of bazaar cool in summer and warm in winter. The two north–south and east–west axis intersect at a place called chahar soogh (four bazaars). There is a small stone pool right at this junction. The area of the bazaar complex is . The buildings in the bazaar are mainly made of bricks. Gypsum and lime have also been used. Wooden joists in

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolinite, ). Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impuriti ...

have made the buildings stronger. Sheets of copper and lead are used in columns' bases.

Unique features

The Bazaar has two east–west and north–south routs which end to four gates of the ancient city, meaning that the at that time the entrance to the city was at Chahar Soogh in bazar. Passages inside are made so that in case of any accident, fire in particular, the crowd can quickly get out and disperse. The Bazaar of Arak used to contain a 200-year-old water reservoir. It was demolished by Arak's municipality to make room for a new school. This reservoir with its special double ceiling was one of the rare buildings in Iran.

Functions

The Bazaar of Arak, like all other bazaars in Iran, is a main center for storing goods and for economic exchanges. The baazar in Arak is now finding its way in internal and global trades. Export of commodities produced in Iran such as

dried fruit Dried fruit is fruit from which the majority of the original water content has been removed prior to cooking or being eaten on its own. Drying may occur either naturally, by sun, through the use of industrial dehydrators, or by freeze drying. ...

handicrafts A handicraft is a traditional main sector of craft making and applies to a wide range of creative and design activities that are related to making things with one's hands and skill, including work with textiles, moldable and rigid material ...

and handmade carpets, are also done in bazaars. The Bazaar is also a place that different social and ethnic groups meet and influence on each other. Bazaar is a place for buyer and seller get together which sometimes leads to the formation of the system of

supply and demand In microeconomics, supply and demand is an economic model of price determination in a Market (economics), market. It postulates that, Ceteris_paribus#Applications, holding all else equal, the unit price for a particular Good (economics), good ...

. In Iran's history Bazaars have been a center for

rebellion Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

and strikes. In the Iranian constitutional revolution Arak and its bazaar became one important center for struggle against foreign investments. Presently, bazaars in Iran are playing an important role in the revolt against the ruling religious dictatorship.

Gallery

Hezaveiha Saray Of Arak Old Bazar.JPG, Passage Hazavei ha Akbarian Timcheh Of Arak Old Bazar.JPG, Akbarian Passage Ketabforush-ha Saray Of Arak Old Bazar.JPG, Booksellers

References

{{Bazaars in Iran Arak Buildings and structures completed in 1855 Buildings and structures in Markazi province Buildings and structures on the Iran National Heritage List Iranian art Islamic architecture in Iran

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

Buildings of the Qajar period World Heritage Sites in Iran