Naraq Bazaar: The Holder of Natural Environment, Historic Routes and the Qajar City Heritage

Naraq is a town with a long history, which has been in decline since almost a century ago. The town’s bazaar is the most important remaining structure from its glorious past. Despite its Listing, the bazaar has been deteriorating because of the lack of attention and the economic decline; so much that there is now a need for restoration and refurbishment plans to preserve it. Such interventions need an awareness of the structure’s features and characteristics, which, regrettably is yet to be deservedly done. Studies on matters such as how it was formed in connection with its surrounding elements, how it is connected with its context, and what type it is, would help understand its position among other areas of the town such as Upper and Lower districts and their centres, and the northern street and river-valley. The method used is interpretative-historical, and largely based on field studies. Scarce written resources have also been studied. More important documents such as letters of devotion (vaqf nameh) have also been studied to help understand relevant parts of the bazaar and its associated natural and built contexts. Whilst casting light on its physical aspects, the results show that the present remainder of the bazaar was formed in the second half of the 13th (Hijri) century outside the nuclei of the two Upper and Lower districts, along an historic route, turning the transit route into the bazaar’s passageway. The studies also show that the bazaar complex is formed on the town’s northern borders in a way to have suitable connections with the river-valley and the historic Kashan-Dilijan route.