IMPACTS OF URBAN PASSAGES ON FORMATION OF IRANIAN BAZAARS:Case Study of the Historic Bazaar of Tabriz

Abstract

Bazaars have long since been of the most influential components of the traditional Iranian cities, having significant impacts on the formation and development of many Iranian cities. This study was motivated by the fact that the subject of bazaar and its mutual relationship with the formation of Iranian civilization has not yet been taken into account well. The study adapted an interpretive-historical research approach that utilized archival research as well as field studies and validated the findings through triangulation of findings with the seminal literature. It chose the historical bazaar of Tabriz as the case of study. Findings proposed that among the important components of the traditional Iranian cities, urban passages and organs have had the highest impacts on the formation and development of bazaars. The study concluded that in the context of Tabriz, traditional urban passages and the bazaar have had significant impacts on the formation of each other. This was a unique and significant study, which discovered new aspects of the important roles of bazaars in formation of Islamic cities and cultures.