While the Silk Road has been replaced by shipping lanes and air-freight, you can still find the ancient bazaar atmosphere in pretty much any major city in Iran.
God that looks cool, definitely not what I expected from the title. I love the mixture of old and new.
What was it like? Looks like the kind of place that was absolutely buzzing with activity; chaotic, but in a good way.
It's busy and crowded, but in a good way. No pushing, no aggressive behavior, just trade done as it has been done for centuries. Like in past times, many of the goods for sale are from China, but unlike before they're now mostly made of plastic. Fortunately, there's still lots of spices, textiles and more local handicraft, too. I really enjoyed it.
My Grandma was born there and left when she was around 8 or 9 and then returned in her teens before getting married and moving abroad. She always said how beautiful it was, I honestly have no idea, but she was convincing
I wonder what type of thrifty bargains can be had there. I'm assuming you'd need a guide or locals to ensure you're not getting ripped off
They see so few non-locals there, that ripping off strangers hasn't really developed into a thing. If you see someone else pay whatever for something, you can easily get that same thing for that same price. Otherwise lots of things have a fixed and posted price. Other items can be bargained for. Or you can just ask what the price is, and they'll let you continue on your way without any further discussion if you don't like the price. Then you can ask for the price at another stall selling the same thing, and quickly figure out if you're being quoted a reasonable price or not. I was generally able to buy stuff at prices much lower than I was expecting.