An Examination of the Auditory Space of the Tabriz Bazaar in its Historical Trajectory before the Modern Era

Nejad Ebrahimi, Ahad; Ghaffari, Abbas; Ilmakchi, Neda

doi:10.22034/chs.2025.518368.1095

An Examination of the Auditory Space of the Tabriz Bazaar in its Historical Trajectory before the Modern Era

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

ahad nejad ebrahimi ¹

abbas ghaffari ²

neda ilmakchi ³

¹ Full Professor, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tabriz Islamic Art University, Tabriz, Iran

² Associate Professor, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tabriz Islamic Art University, Tabriz, Iran

³ PhD Candidate, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tabriz Islamic Art University, Tabriz, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22034/chs.2025.518368.1095

Abstract

The bazaar, a key element and quintessential manifestation of historical cities and their soundscapes, has some emotional-perceptual signs that have been running in a specific time and place, holding particular significance. This article investigates the transformations of the auditory space of the Tabriz Bazaar throughout its historical trajectory prior to the modern era. Using a library-based approach, this research analyzed information extracted from travelogues, historical maps of Tabriz, governmental documents and reports, and other sources related to the pre-modern historical periods as primary data. This data was then analyzed according to the components of soundscape theories. The results indicated that the soundscape of the Tabriz Bazaar in historical periods contained a greater number of meaningful sounds compared to similar environments of the same era, a condition that persists to the present day. Furthermore, components such as the activities of functions like mosques and tombs, bathhouses and zurkhanehs (traditional gymnasiums), sedentary and non-sedentary occupations, street vendors, the presence of itinerant performers and public entertainments, social events, the presence of different dialects and accents, construction sounds, the presence of natural elements within the bazaar environment, and sounds related to bazaar management and maintenance were key soundmarks that have been legible from a historical soundscape perspective. The continuity of this legible soundscape throughout the bazaar demonstrates that it was a dynamic environment.

Keywords

Soundscape

historical soundspace

Tabriz bazaar

signal

travelogue

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