Shiraz shops in vaulted brick arcades rather than glass atriums. Three days take you from the Saray-e Moshir caravanserai and Vakil's copper alleys to khatam inlay workshops, Qashqai kilim dealers, rosewater distillers and the marble malls of Ma'ali Abad.
Two-storey Qajar courtyard caravanserai off the Vakil Bazaar's southern end, its arcades filled with khatam inlay, miniature painting, Qashqai jewellery and hand-block qalamkar cloth. Doors open around 09:00, most stalls shut Fridays.
The textile spine of Karim Khan's 1770s market, running under 74 brick vaults. Bolts of termeh brocade, Yazd silk and hand-printed qalamkar tablecloths are sold by the metre; merchants keep tea glasses ready for serious buyers.
A narrow hammering lane north of Shohada Square where smiths still beat tinned-copper trays, samovars and mortars over anvils. Pieces are sold by weight, and the workshops will engrave a Hafez couplet on a tray while you wait.
Sacks of dried Damask rosebuds, saffron from Ghaenat, sumac, limoo amani and shirazi rosewater fill the perfumer-grocer stalls of the New Bazaar. Distilled golab from nearby Meymand and Qamsar is bottled in half-litre glass.
A government-vetted crafts arcade near the Quran Gate stocking khatam, silver filigree, Abadeh woodcarving and gabbeh rugs with fixed, labelled prices — useful as a benchmark before you haggle anywhere in the old bazaar.
A restored merchants' yard beside the bazaar's carpet section, with a citrus tree, a small tea house and half a dozen boutiques selling contemporary Persian ceramics, leather notebooks and calligraphy prints on cotton paper.
Nomad-woven gabbeh and kilims from the Zagros tribes around Shiraz — thick undyed wool, lion motifs and diamond medallions. Dealers unroll dozens on the floor and will ship rolled and sewn in canvas by post.
One of the largest malls on earth by shop count, with roughly 2,500 units over six marble floors, an ice rink and Iranian labels like Hakopian and LC Waikiki. Trading runs late, typically to 22:30 or later at weekends.
Shiraz's best-known gaz and sohan counter, selling pistachio nougat made with manna from Zagros tamarisk, boxed in half and one-kilo tins. Staff cut samples at the counter; the shop opens around 08:30 daily.
Small ateliers behind the Zand corridor where craftsmen glue bundles of brass wire, camel bone and rosewood into rods, then slice them into star-patterned veneer for boxes, backgammon sets and pen holders.
An older, less touristed arcade just east of Vakil where locals buy enamelled minakari bowls, hookahs, prayer stones and cheap Kashan ceramics. Little English is spoken and prices start far closer to what residents pay.
On the northern road out of town, stalls sell double-distilled golab, bitter-orange blossom water, dried limes and Jahrom date syrup, often straight from the family distilleries in the villages around Kamin and Meymand.