Shopping in Iran
-
A
Tehran Bazar
The maze of bustling alleys and the bazaris that fill them make Tehran Bazar a fascinating, if somewhat daunting, place to explore. Traders have been hawking their wares on this site for nearly a thousand years, but most of what you see today is less than 200 years old; it’s no architectural jewel. The bazaris are a conservative bunch and there will be far more chadors than bleached hair.
reviewed
-
B
Carpet Bazaar
The wobbly, wooden-ceilinged old carpet bazaar is more commercial minded but slated for eventual demolition if the shrine’s expansion continues.
reviewed
-
Hossein Hosseiny
If you can catch Hossein Hosseiny between buying missions, we found this young man from a family of carpet bazaris to be straight up and offering fair prices on his mainly nomadic carpets. His small store is in the interesting little Serai Parsa bazaar, off Kababihah Alley, with merchants who usually supply to larger shops, so prices can be good - ask for directions.
The bazaar is an excellent place to shop for carpets, in particular, and buying here usually means you won't have to carry it around. Qalyans are also a good buy in the bazaar, where you'll get the genuine working article rather than the more elaborately decorated and expensive souvenir shop variety.
reviewed
-
Old City Bazaars
The old city bazaars are probably the best places in Iran to buy silk (known locally as tirma), brocade, glassware and cloth - products that brought the town its prosperity in centuries past. If you have a sweet tooth, don't forget to try pashmak (Iranian fairy floss), available in many shops around Beheshti Sq.
reviewed
-
C
Book City Niyavaran Store
For English-language books, the Book City chain is your best option. Most top-end hotels also sell books (mainly pictorials) about Iran, as do the National Museum of Iran and Sa'd Abad Museum Complex. Some people like this store even more than the Book City Hafez store, though the fun police have closed the attached café.
reviewed
-
Jameh Bazar
A car park near the corner of Jomhuri-ye Eslami Ave and Ferdosi St is the location for the Jameh Bazar, where hawkers from across Central Asia lay out their rugs and sell whatever they can on Friday mornings. Be sure to go up to the higher floors, in the carpark itself, where some bargains can be found.
reviewed
-
D
Saroye Saeed
Mashhad is a great place to buy carpets. Saroye Saeed is a multi-unit carpet market which mostly aims at bulk dealers so prices can be excellent. It even has an interesting top-floor repair workshops and remarkably there seems to be no sales pressure.
reviewed
-
E
Bazaar-e Fash
Bazaar-e Fash, is a multi-unit carpet market mostly aimed at bulk dealers so prices can be excellent. It even has an interesting top-floor repair workshop and remarkably there seems to be no sales pressure.
reviewed
-
Hat Shops
hat shops sell traditional papakh (Azari hats, from IR100,000) made of tight-curled astrakhan wool. The better the quality, the younger the lamb sacrificed to the milliner’s art.
reviewed
-
F
Friday Book Market
The Friday book market is good for English-language magazines including the Economist (IR10,000). Blind peddlers outside the Haram near Falakeh Ab sell excellent city maps (IR6000).
reviewed
Advertisement
-
Nakhajir Camping Shop
Nakhajir Camping Shop sells great-value camping gear including head torches (IR30,000 to IR50,000), sprung hiking sticks (IR70,000) and 1:300,000 Farsi maps of the Alborz (IR15,000).
reviewed
-
G
Bazar-e Reza
Upstairs in the 800m-long Bazar-e Reza, jewellery stalls proffer turquoise (mined at nearby Neishabur) but their sales pitch is often more impressive than their gems.
reviewed
-
H
Fish Market
Self-caterers should head for this fish market for fresh Gulf fish, filleted if you ask. Even if you don’t plan to cook, this is a fun place to wander round with a camera.
reviewed
-
Carpet Shops
Several carpet shops around Imam Sq let you check email for free in exchange for the opportunity to bend your ear about carpets, including Nomad Carpet Shop and Aladdin Carpets .
reviewed
-
I
Jahanelm Institute
Magazines ranging from the Economist to Vogue. It’s on the floor below ground level in a large arcade with red-painted trim.
reviewed
-
Union of Carpet Co-operatives
Hamadan region is famous for its leatherwork, wooden inlay, ceramics and carpets. Try contacting the Union of Carpet Co-operatives.
reviewed
-
Hiland Supermarket
This place is full of hard-to-find Western goods, such as coffee, baby products, pads and tampons, condoms, magazines and plenty of baby products.
reviewed
-
Dusto-e
The mother of all souvenir stores is Dusto-e, where the range is huge, prices high and quality probably better than average.
reviewed
-
J
Mahtab Passaj
Several bookshops stock maps, dictionaries and the odd English book, notably those in Mahtab Passaj.
reviewed
-
Bookshops
Bookshops in the complex opposite the Abbasi Hotel also sell a few English-language books on Iran.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
K
Di Rouz Em Rouz Ancien Livres
A good collection of old books in English, French, German and Italian. Some rare works on Iran.
reviewed
-
L
Farahmand
Souvenirs ranging from Gilaki wooden spoons to amusing wicker frogs are sold at Farahmand.
reviewed
-
M
Forouzesh Publications
Sells some English-language books, guides, dictionaries and a good map of Iran (IR10,000).
reviewed
-
N
Aladdin Carpets
Small shop, interesting range of carpets, experienced salesmen, underwhelming nomad tours.
reviewed
-
Spice Bazaar
The spice bazaar has a few shops still selling herbal remedies and natural perfumes.
reviewed