Bazaar

The Grand Timcheh of Qom's Bazaar.

Bazaar of Zanjan.

For other articles called Bazaar, see Bazaar (disambiguation).

A bazaar (in Persian: ) is a market, often covered, typically found in areas of Persian and some Islamic culture. The word derives from the Persian word bāzār, whose etymology goes back to the Pahlavi word baha-char (وهاچار) meaning "the place of prices".

Modern History

Opposing the political elite in Iran, through much of the twentieth century has been the bazar, an important political, economic, and social force in since at least the time of the Qajar dynasty.

The Pahlavi dynasty viewed the bazaar as an impediment to the modern society that they wished to create and sought to enact policies that would erode the bazaar's importance. They were aware that the alliance of the mercantile and artisan forces of the bazaar with the Shia and Islamic fundamentalism clergy posed a serious threat to Imperial government, as occurred in 1890 and again during the Constitutional Revolution of 1905-07. The emergence of such an alliance in the period from 1923 to 1924 is believed by many scholars to have convinced Reza Shah not to establish a republic, as Ataturk had done in Turkey, but to establish a new dynasty based upon his family.

Reza Shah recognized the potential power of the bazar, and he was apparently determined to control it. As his secularization programs had adversely affected the clergy, many of his economic reforms hurt the bazar.

His son also sought to control the influence of the bazar. As a consequence, the bazar remained a locus of opposition to both Pahlavis. During 1978 the bazar spearheaded the strikes that paralyzed some sectors of the economy and provided support for the political actions of the Shia clergy. In essence, the feared alliance of the bazar and clergy had once again come to play a pivotal role in effecting political change in Iran.

The The Islamic Republic has been much more solicitous of the bazar than was the Pahlavi dynasty. Several of the early economic programs implemented by the governments of the Republic have benefited the interests of the bazar; nevertheless, the complexities of managing an economy under the impact of a total war have also forced the central government to adopt economic policies that the bazar has opposed.

Generally, the modern government leaders have favored varying degrees of state regulation over such economic issues as the pricing of basic commodities and foreign trade, while entrepreneurs, bazar merchants, and some prominent clergy have opposed such restrictions. These economic issues have been among the main reasons for the emergence of two contentious factions among the political elite in Iran.

Famous bazaars

Examples of great Iranian and Pakistani bazaars include:

Tehran's Grand Bazaar (Largest ceiled neighbourhood in the world)
The Grand Bazaar, Istanbul
Bazaar of Isfahan, Iran
Bazaar of Tabriz, Iran
Qissa Khawani Bazaar (market of story tellers) Peshawar, Pakistan
Anarkali Bazaar Lahore, Pakistan
Bazaar of Kashan

Words cognate to bazaar are used in many neighboring regions (for instance the former Soviet Union and the former Yugoslavia) to mean an open market, whereas in more distant cultures the word connotes a near-Eastern style market.

In Singapore and Malaysia, the word bazaar is used to denote wet markets.

Bazaar

Modern History

Famous bazaars

See also