Vakil Bazaar in Shiraz

The Vakil Bazaar was built in the 1760s under Karim Khan Zand, who made Shiraz his capital and laid out in the centre of the city a single ensemble of citadel, mosque, baths and trading rows. The word vakil, regent, was the title Karim Khan preferred to a royal one. The main gallery runs for about four hundred metres, its vaults raised high on brick arches; where the lanes cross there are octagonal domed halls, chahar-su, in which four streams of shoppers meet. The height of the vaults and the openings at their crowns solve the same problem as in other Iranian bazaars: hot air escapes upwards, while shade and a draught remain inside. Caravanserais with inner courtyards adjoin the rows, among them Saray-e Moshir with its garden and pool. The trade is in carpets, fabrics, spices, copperware and objects of khatam, the Shirazi craft of inlaid wood. The ensemble of Karim Khan around the bazaar has survived almost in full. The bazaar is part of the single ensemble of Karim Khan: the citadel, the mosque and the baths are right beside it, all within walking distance. This is where people buy carpets, spices and khatam inlaid wood. Come during the day, as much of it is closed on Fridays. Payment in cash.

On the map