Kashan Bazaar, Historical market center in Kashan, Iran.
Kashan Bazaar is a historic covered market in the heart of Kashan, Iran, built from brick, plaster, and tile. Its vaulted passages are lit by circular skylights set into the domed ceilings, which channel daylight down into the underground trading corridors below.
The bazaar dates back to the Seljuq dynasty in the 10th century and saw its most extensive rebuilding during the Safavid period. The Qajar era added new structures that brought the complex to the form it holds today.
The bazaar is divided into sections where craftspeople make and sell their goods, often in the same workshops their families have run for generations. In the copper section, visitors can watch artisans at work, while the smell of spices and freshly dyed fabrics drifts through the nearby passages.
The bazaar has several entrances near Baba Afzal Street and Darvaze Dolat Square, and is best explored on foot. The passages are winding and cover a large area, so bringing a map or joining a local guide is a good idea, especially on a first visit.
Running beneath the bazaar are ancient underground water channels called qanats, which are still active today and provide natural cooling to the passages below. This system, built long before modern technology, keeps the underground corridors noticeably cooler than street level above.
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