TEHRAN- Timcheh of Hajab al-Doleh, which is registered in the national list of cultural heritage, has suffered no damage from the fire broke out in the Grand Bazaar of Tehran on Saturday, Tehran’s tourism chief has announced. 

“The fire occurred in an area that is treasured but not nationally registered. However, its neighboring Timcheh of Hajab al-Doleh is fortunately unaffected by the blaze,” IRNA quoted Parham Janfeshan as saying on Sunday. 

Firefighters were dispatched from five various stations to contain to fire as soon as possible, however, 30 shops were destroyed by the flames, the official added. 

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, and has not yet been revealed, while experts are currently assessing the damages, he noted.

The cultural heritage department in Tehran is leading the way in helping to protect and restore historical buildings, including the Grand Bazaar, which is vulnerable to events such as fires, he explained. 

Situated in the heart of Tehran, the Grand Bazaar boasts various mazes, corridors, lanes, intersections, entrances, and passageways with hundreds of shops offering different types of goods and services. It is home to various Timches, which are small arcaded courtyards each dedicated to a single type of business.

While most of its covered structures and marketplaces are associated with the 19th century onwards, the history of trade in the bazaar is rooted much deeper in time.

Some visitors to the bazaar refer to it as “a city within a city” because it also includes several mosques, guesthouses, banks, and once-thriving caravansaries. Most mazes and lanes are particularly allocated to commodities such as carpets, metalwork, spices, toys, clothing, jewelry, woodturning, and kitchen appliances. Bookbinders, blacksmiths, tinsmiths, coppersmiths, tobacconists, tailors, flag sellers, broadcloth sellers, carpenters, shoemakers, and knife-makers, are among other businesses attracting locals and even foreign vacationers to the giant marketplace. 

ABU/AFM