"Teze Bazaar" is one of the most famous bazaars located in the center of Baku. The bazaar is around 80 years old and is best known for the availability of its fresh sturgeon and seafood from the Caspian, as well as the wonderful black caviar.

According to the seller, Aliyev Alimammadin, this Bazaar was founded in 1949. At that time there were selling only fruits and vegetables. Alimammad, who finds this place more native than his own home, worked here as a bread seller.

"I was working here as the director of this bakery for about 50 years. After 1990 the trade was so poor that I had to start selling some small items.” Under small items he means water engines, power supplies and electrical goods and parts. 

“There is a big difference in this bazaar in comparison to others, and one of them is it has six entrances. Additionally, the most famous artists such as Sidqi Ruhulla, Agasadiq Garaybeyli, Bulbul, the wife of Niyazi, and the conductors of Azerbaijan came here," he said.

Similar to many other Middle Eastern cultures, the bazaar is a focal point in Azerbaijan.  Teze Bazaar is a lovely place for tourists’ visits. Thus, besides of colorful fruits and vegetables you can find souvenirs here as well. 73-years-old Rafiq Zeynalov is a souvenir seller. He notes that one of the bestsellers of souvenirs is the wooden backgammons and rosaries. Here in his small shop you can find two types of wooden backgammons and rosaries. One part of the rosaries was brought from Mashhad, a city of Iran, and another part from the prison. According to Rafiq’s words, the bestsellers are those that were brought from Iran, however the prison ones are also popular among the younger generation. 

“I have been working here since 1991 because it is located very near to my house. Previously, it was a very good bazaar because there were many customers. “Later the number of means for public transportation was reduced, and it led to a fewer number of customers and consequently it influenced our profits,” says Rafiq. When he has many customers he enjoys it and forgets about his tiredness. 

Logman Bayramov has been working here from 1992. Initially, he started his “career” selling cheese which he brought from Agdjabedi. Later he began to sell the meat, and is quite happy with it. “I was engaged in livestock. At that time I did not find a job and decided to do cattle breeding. Then I did not return to the village, I was married here and bought a house here,” he says. He got used to work in this way: every night at 02.00 A.M. he is breeding cattle, bringing them to the bazaar and selling it until midday. “Teze Bazaar in comparison with other markets is expensive, but despite the high prices the quality of the products are high enough,” he states.

The “Motal” (the type of cheese) seller says that previously he was a teacher of physics and mathematics at a school. Additionally during Soviet times, he was working as an economist, yet after gaining independence, the salary he made was not quite enough to live off of, and he had to choose his profession.