Kashan Bazaar

The trading rows in the centre of old Kashan appeared as far back as Seljuk times, but they took their present form largely under the Qajars, after the earthquake of 1778 that destroyed almost the whole town. The bazaar is stretched along the main axis and roofed with brick vaults with round openings at the tops of the domes — the same device as in Isfahan: light falls from above in even patches, and the hot air escapes upward. The rows are divided up by craft, and there is still a great deal of actual production here rather than resale: coppersmiths beat patterns into trays right at the counter, and dyers, saddlers and rosewater sellers are at work. Rosewater is Kashan's main product in general — it is distilled in nearby Qamsar, and in May, when the harvest is on, the whole bazaar smells of it. The best-known part of the complex is the Timcheh-ye Amin od-Dowleh caravanserai, with a high dome on an octagonal drum and a moulded honeycomb vault. Besides it, bathhouses, mosques and several old warehouses are hidden among the rows.

On the map