Grand Bazaar, Isfahan

For other uses of "Grand Bazaar", see Grand Bazaar (disambiguation).

The Grand Bazaar (Persian: بازار بزرگ, transliterated: Bāzār-e Bozorg) is a market located in Isfahan, Iran, also known as the Qeysarriyeh Bazaar (بازار قيصريه), Qeysarie bazaar or Soltani bazaar.

Qeysarie Bazaar
بازار قیصریه
Location within Iran
Alternative names	Soltani bazaar
General information
Status	Cultural
Type	bazaar
Architectural style	Isfahani
Location	Isfahan, Iran
Coordinates	32.6631°N 51.6753°E / 32.6631; 51.6753
Completed	1620

Main entrance of the Isfahan Bazaar

A handicraft-maker-seller

A carpet shop in the Grand Bazaar

Shoppers in the Grand Bazaar

The bazaar was one of the greatest and most luxurious trading centers during the Safavid era. It was built in 1620 on the northern side of Naqsh-e Jahan Square. It connects the Naqsh-e Jahan Square to the Kohneh Square and the Seljuk part of Isfahan.^[1][2]

History

It was originally constructed during the 11th century on the southwest wing of the Jameh Mosque and Kohneh Square, but various arcades and rooms were later added.

The bazaar, one of the oldest and largest in the Middle East, dates to Seljuk and Safavid eras and is the longest roofed market in the world.^[3] The site has been destroyed several times before the current bazaar was constructed in the 17th century. The bazaar is a vaulted two-kilometre street linking the old city with the new.^[4]

In the Middle-East, bazaars were typically situated in close proximity to the mosque and the Isfahan Bazaar is no exception. The Bazaar of Isfahan is located in downtown old Isfahan, in the northern section of the Naqsh-e Jahan Square. The main entrance called Qeisarieh stretches through to Jameh Mosque, the oldest mosque in Isfahan, and one of the oldest in Iran.^[5]

19th-century drawing of Naqsh-e Jahan Square, Isfahan, by French architect Xavier Pascal Coste, who traveled to Iran in 1839.

See also

• List of the historical structures in the Isfahan province