In the West, the word "bazaar" (which comes from the Persian) has changed its meaning from a place where a variety of articles can be found to a place of disorder.

In truth, the traditional Persian bazaar was a highly organized commercial and financial center of the city. Linked to the mosque, the seminary (Madreseh), the religious club (Hoseyniyyeh), the caravansary, and the bath house (Hammam), it was both the spiritual and the cultural heart of the Iranian town. To the casual visitor this organization was not always apparent.

 This collection shows a fruit and fish bazaar in contemporary Iran.

— Reza Golchin