The old caravanserais that the kings of Iran visited. Episode 1. Kashan bazaar
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 Published On Oct 13, 2024

If we want to tell a history of the traditional market of Kashan, this valuable building was also established during the reign of Shah Qajar, and the reason for that was the extraordinary stability that existed in the country's political and national industries. All these things also caused many caravanserais, timchehs and bazaars to be built in this market. One of the most important buildings in this bazaar is New Mesgarha and Farrokh Khan Amin al-Dawlah Ghafari bazaar, which is similar to it in the whole of Iran because of its good and unique design. More than one hundred and twenty small and big shops with a front porch and upper house have been built from the side of the government or municipal square in Faiz Square and in front of the mosque. At a distance between the shops, a large caravanserai has been built in front of it with long sides and a roof. At the end of each shop, the caravanserai have doors, windows and skylights.

In 1288, when Farrukh Khan died, the New Mesgarha Bazaar was destroyed, and until the Pahlavi period and the construction of city streets in Kashan, the entire New Bazaar was destroyed and its last traces disappeared.

Professor Edward Brown also said about the copper market:

"Kashan copper market with the constant sound of the hammer hitting the copper, and the furnaces in which it turns red is one of the most spectacular places in the East".
After Mesgarha bazaar, the most famous bazaar in the traditional bazaar of Kashan is the Kashan Mint, which is located in the upper part of the bazaar and near the Maidan Mosque. A pair of large wooden doors, which are among the historical monuments before the Safavid era, can also be seen in this market. A verse of poetry is also written on the wooden door of Zarabkhaneh market, which is as follows:

"For the benefit of the people of Chu Kurd, its foundation was established in the year eight hundred and eighty eight"

A large number of markets in the traditional market of Kashan have disappeared and among the big and famous old bazaars, which are generally called pass or passage by the locals, more or less a few of them remain. Their names are Isfahan Gate, Sarpreh Pass, Panje Shah Pass, Imamzadeh Habib Bin Musa Pass, Pai Qapan Pass, respectively. However, the crossings of Mohammad Saleh Beyk and Turkabad, Fin Gate and Ghazi Asda... which were located on the path of Fazel Naraghi Street and the crossing of Kalhor neighborhood on the path of Mohtsham Street have also been completely destroyed. Chaharso pass, Ab Anbar Khan and Darb Yalan pass are uninhabited and destroyed.
The traditional market of Kashan during the Safavid era was also at its peak and prosperity, especially during the reign of Shah Abbas I, many tourists visited this market and many purchases and sales were made in it, but gradually the importance of this market decreased. and the current bazaar of Kashan was built on the remains of the old bazaar and is actually the work of the architects of the Qajar period. When you go to the traditional market of Kashan, apart from the row of coppersmiths, goldsmiths, cobblers, and water storages that exist in this market, try to go to the markets of Mianchal, Malik, Zrabkhaneh, and dyers. Each of these buildings was built in a certain period. Mianchal is also the main focus of the market and unlike other patterns of this market, it does not have a linear shape. This collection includes various elements such as Timche, greenhouse, water tank and school mosque.
Among the other attractions in Kashan traditional market are the caravanserais built in it, and among them, Zaghali caravanserais, New caravanserais, and Mirpanj caravanserais are among the most important and famous caravanserais in Kashan traditional bazaar. The importance of these caravanserais was due to the fact that big merchants who came to this market to buy stayed in them, and the reason for that was their proximity to the main gate of the city.

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