Renovation projects underway in Arak Bazaar
The historical Arak Bazaar is one of the most important cultural heritages of the city, renovation of which has been prioritized by urban managers in the recent years.
Peyman Einolqozzati, a member of the Islamic City Council of Arak, said that in order to achieve the objective the shop owners, Endowment and Charity Affairs Organization, Arak Municipality, and the Council for the Protection, Restoration, and Revitalization of Arak Bazaar have recently signed an agreement, Mehr News Agency wrote.
He noted the measure aims at preserving and maintaining its historical parts, remove existing risks, and preparing the bazaar for registration on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
He stated that the share of each of the three groups is set at approximately 30 percent, adding, the retailers are responsible for providing a part of the cost required for restoration and maintenance.”
He said that the Endowment and Charity Affairs Organization must act regarding the properties under its ownership, adding Arak Municipality is also responsible for risk removal and engineering measures.
Einolqozzati emphasized that to build trust and ensure transparency, a three-party technical committee, consisting of representatives from Arak Municipality, Endowment and Charity Affairs Organization, and the Cultural Heritage Organization, is in charge of identifying the caravanserais and unis which are in need of restoration. After estimating the cost, the projects, including roof and façade construction, and building reinforcement would be ceded to the chosen contractors.
Einolqozzati emphasized that given that the market is on the verge of being registered as a World Heritage Site, all actions must be in accordance with UNESCO regulations, and any activities contrary to these principles will be stopped in cooperation with the municipality, Cultural Heritage Organization, and the Judiciary.
“The abandoned or unused caravanserais and shops must be brought back into the cycle of activity, as this revival will lead to economic prosperity, job creation, and the return of the market to its original position in urban life” he concluded.
The historic bazaar of Arak stands as the vibrant heart of a city that, since its foundation in the early Qajar period, was shaped with a precise urban plan and purposeful architecture.
When Fat’h-Ali Shah Qajar laid the first stones of Sultanabad — the city’s original name — the bazaar was conceived as its first and most vital element. The Qajars believed that economic prosperity and population stability in the region would be impossible without a cohesive commercial artery.
The core of the bazaar was built in the early 13th century AH, during Fat’h-Ali Shah’s reign, by order of Yousef Khan Gorji. In 1976, the Arak Bazaar was registered on Iran’s National Heritage List, a milestone that elevated it from a traditional marketplace to a site of architectural and cultural significance.
The bazaar’s layout is defined by two main axes: a north–south passage and an east–west route that intersect at the central crossroads, or Chaharsuq. Multiple entrances, connections to the city’s old streets, and the extension of shops along the main routes have allowed this complex to preserve both its traditional form and urban coherence.
According to assessments, the bazaar and its historical dependencies cover an area of about 14 hectares and include 30 caravanserais, making it one of the most notable examples of covered bazaars in Iran. The historic bazaar is more than just an old building; it serves as the city’s collective memory, social identity, and a living part of its traditional economy.