Rasht Grand Bazaar, a world of colors
Are you a bazaar lover? Have you visited traditional Iranian bazaars with the ceilings, domes, and lightwells like the ones in Isfahan, Shiraz, Kerman, Tabriz, and so on? They are so unique and outstanding, and worth visiting as many times as possible.
But today we are getting to know more about Rasht Grand Bazaar, which is totally different from others. A 24-hectare market is the biggest roofless bazaar in Iran, tappersia.com reported.
Rasht Grand Bazaar is mesmerizing and when you get in, you will immerse in its beauty, a world of colors, flavors, and sounds. You can hear many sweet dialects there including Gilaki and Turki. You can find everything you can think of. From any kind of food and vegetables to clothes, kitchen utensils, and traditional handcrafts.
On every corner in the bazaar you see the movements of colors. You can breathe in the fresh smell of fruits and vegetables, and sometimes the sharp smell of fresh fish. The vegetables are the crops of nearby farms, and the fish are recently caught in the Caspian Sea. You can find some aromatic vegetables, which are exclusively from the area, which the locals use as ingredients in many of their delicious dishes.
Street food
Little by little, as you are spending your money on souvenirs and buying stuff for your home, you start feeling hungry; that’s the moment your eyes open to the other attractions which happen to be super delicious. And you can be sure about the fresh ingredients, as the best local suppliers are all around.
When to visit?
Rasht Bazaar is available to visit every day, morning to late evening. The interesting thing is that on some days rural people join the shoppers and vendors. They come to sell their homegrown products, such as nuts, vegetables, and fruits, or home-baked goods like traditional bread and cookies.
Why roofless?
You may ask, “This all sounds great, but why roofless?”
Rasht is known as the City of Rain. In Gilan Province, most of the time it rains, or it is cloudy. The no-roof theory is a solution to absorb as much sunlight as available so that it doesn’t cause vitamin D deficiency. Moreover, the beauty of the bazaar in the rain is undeniable.
The history of the bazaar dates back to the Safavid Dynasty (1501-1736 CE). The 24-hectare market consists of two squares, a large one and a small one, streets, and 14 caravanserais. Nowadays, some of the caravanserais are used as shops, but most have long been abandoned.
The bazaar is located next to the Shahrdaari (Municipality) Square, which is also another top tourist attraction of Rasht. Variety, quality, and the freshness of the products is the reason many people visit the bazaar daily. Consequently, the location is one of a kind for photography, either on sunny days or rainy days. It feels really something to walk along the bazaar and see the liveliness of the bazaar despite the rain.