TEHRAN – An urgent restoration project on a Qajar-era (1789-1925) Bazaar in Aradan county, north-central Semnan province, has come to an end, a local tourism official has said.

The project involved repairing the damaged parts, and restoring its rooftop and flooring, Abbas Khaksar explained on Tuesday. 

The historical structure has been inscribed on the national heritage list. 

In Iranian culture, bazaars have been traditional public spaces in Iranian cities with great contributions to commercial activities in urban life meanwhile their extended activities can be traced to social, cultural, political, and religious roles.

Most mazes and passages offer certain commodities such as carpets, metalwork, toys, clothing, jewelry, kitchen appliances, traditional spices, herbal remedies, and natural perfumes. One can also bump into colorful grocery stores, bookbinders, blacksmiths, tinsmiths, coppersmiths, tobacconists, tailors, flag sellers, broadcloth sellers, carpenters, shoemakers, and knife-makers.

Several divided carpet sections across the bazaar enable visitors to watch or buy hand-woven Persian carpets and rugs with different knot densities and other features. From another point of view, bazaars are also synonyms for foods, with their unmissable colorful stalls of vegetables, herbs, and spices. Yet, most of these ingredients might be mysterious to a foreign eye.

ABU/AM