Qeysariyeh Bazaar, Lar

🕰️When was it built?

The original building dates from before the Safavid era. Under Shah Abbas, Haji Qanbar Ali Beyg Zolqadr Jahromi restored the bazaar, and repairs and rebuilding went on in the Qajar era. The bazaar's inscriptions are reminders of these periods of restoration.

🏛️What was it built for?

The bazaar grew up for trade, and its four aisles, to the north, south, east and west, form its main routes. Shops line both sides of the aisles, and a side passage runs around the chaharsu. A windcatcher on the dome helped move the air.

👀What you will see

• The octagonal chaharsu with its tall stone dome, where the two main rows of the bazaar meet.
• The dressed stone inside the dome and the tall vaults, in keeping with the bazaar's stone materials.
• A simple windcatcher on top of the chaharsu vault, which helps ventilate the space under the dome.
• Some old shop doors, which survive beside doors replaced in later periods.
• The stone inscription over the south entrance, which records details of the Qajar-era repairs.

💡Something interesting

The floor of the bazaar is lower than the street and square to the south, and a stone stairway connects the two levels. This change in height means that as you walk in, you notice the height of the interior and the chaharsu vault all the more.

🎒Good to know before you go