Morris tribune., 1912-01-12
PERSIAN BAzAARS
Curious Business Methods of the
Oriental Shopkeepers.
HAVE NO GENERAL STORES.

One Merchant Will Sell Only Muslin,
Another Nothing but Silk, Another
Spices, and So on-Water Is Diff
cult to Obtain and Is Very Expensive.
One curious thing about the bazaars
Of Persia, writes Mrs. Mary A. G. Col
Quhoun in the Los Angeles Times, is
the fact that all the shops of one kind
are grouped together, and so we speak
Of the "cloth bazaar" the that ba
zaar." the "shoe bazaar" There are
both wholesale and retail shops, but
there are no department stores as in
America, nor is there such a thing as
a general grocery or dry goods store.
One grocer keeps spices only, an
other tea, coffee, sugar, etc.; one dry
goods merchant will sell you muslin,
another broadcloth, another silk. There
are no large manufactures in Persia.
1t is common to have small factory
and shop together or side by side.
All the metal utensils used in the
country are made of either brass or
SODpCAs uC0C SuOSldASOS arc
ed into shape. A stroll through the ba-
zaar where this work is going on gives
one the impression that pandemonium
has broken loose.
Different kinds Of bread are made in
the bazaar. One kind which is espe-
cially liked by the people and which
can be obtained fresh at almost every
hour Of the day is called "non-i-san-
gak," literally little stone bread. 1t is
made by pouring the dough on very
hot pebbles, which bake it quickly and
give it a crisp crust. OF course it IS
thin, not more than a quarter Of an
inch in thickness. The sheet Is about
a foot and a half wide by two and
half long.
Near the bazaar where this bread is
baked you will usually find a place
where mutton chops are being cooked
on skewers over a charcoal fire. Any
one desiring lunch will buy from the
baker a sheet Of the thin. crisp, fresh
" baked bread, then a few 'kabobs,'
as the chops are called. Wrapping the
chops in the bread, he will proceed on
his way, eating his lunch as he goes.
AS you walk through the bazaars or
stand to examine or purchase goods,
especially If you are foreigner, you
must expect to be jostled, not only by
crowds Of curious pedestrians, but also
by caravans Of horses and donkeys and
even of vicious camels. You will per
haps have to- wait also for the shop,
keeper to finish his prayer.
Foreigners usually go to the bazaars
not to purchase things. but to see orien
tai life, and in the bazaars are to be
seen many interesting. phases Of 1t.
When you really wish to buy some
thing you will find the peddler, that SUI
preme nuisance Of America, your best
friend. He will bring to your door
anything that you wish to see and give
you all the time that you desire In
which to examine it.
You must needs be haggler to deal
with any merchant in Persia, but usu-
ally you can make better bargain in
the quiet of your own home than you
can make in the bazaar.
Save for one month in the year the
baZaars. even in the capital Of 100000
people. are never open at night. Dur
ing the month when the Persians fast
all day it is customary to do some mar
keting, some business and much visit
ing at night. Then the food bazaars,
tea shops and so forth are open. Pc
destrians with huge lanterns of oiled
paper and people in carriages give an
appearance Of life and gayety to the
streets which is quite unknown at 9th
er times.
Many occupations which in western
lands are carried on in shops are in
Persia carried on in the open air. This
is due partly to the poverty of the peo-
pie, partly to the warmness Of the eli
mate, partly to the fact that the Per
sian Is pre-emtnently a social being
and-with the exception of his domes-
tic life, which is lived in great seclu-
sion behind high walls-he likes to be
with his fellow men.
The barber, for example, seldom has
a shop and never really needs one. At
any street corner you are likely to
stumble over man sitting on a ledge
Of the wall and being shaved or having
his hair cut. 1t is your one opportuni'
ty for seeing a man with his hat of,
but as you look at his tonsured pate
you do not regret that your opportunt
ties in this direction are limited.
The only things that are free in Per
STA are air and sunshine. Water-not
only in the cities, but everywhere-is
one of the most expensive commodities
and one of the most difficult to obtain
The entire water supply Of Teheran
comes from the snow on the mountains
north Of the city. 1t is brought for q
distance Of many miles in underground
watercourses. There are thirty -four