Sarraflar House

Sarraflar House, also known as the Pottery Museum and the Alavi Historical House, is one of the historic houses of Tabriz in East Azerbaijan Province, located on Shams Tabrizi Street in Sarraflar Alley. Dating from the Qajar period and the early Pahlavi era, this mansion is one of the city's valuable historical buildings, and it was registered on Iran's National Heritage list on 17 Esfand 1381 (8 March 2003) under registration number 7802. The house was once home to well-known Tabrizi families. After it was acquired and restored by the Cultural Heritage Organization, it was put into use as the Tabriz Pottery Museum in 1374 (1995), and today it is regarded as one of the city's cultural and artistic attractions.

Architecturally, Sarraflar House is an outstanding example of the introverted Iranian house, designed with symmetry and spatial order. The building consists of a basement and an upper floor, and has a central courtyard with a large pool surrounded by lush flowerbeds that add to the beauty of the setting. A long iwan with stuccoed columns and semicircular arches gives the facade a distinctive look. In the basement there is a traditional hoz-khaneh (pool room), along with spaces such as side rooms, a rectangular room and a corridor, and the ceilings are built as vaults and domes. The division of the spaces into five-door and two-door rooms also reflects the social structure and the different uses of traditional houses of that period.

Today, as the Tabriz Pottery Museum, the house hosts works by potters and a variety of pottery exhibitions, and it has a hoz-khaneh, educational workshops and an art shop. Besides admiring the building's authentic architecture, visitors can learn about the stages of making pottery. The complex is easy to reach via Shams Tabrizi Street and can be visited all year round; however, the warmer months, especially summer, are a better time to visit because of Tabriz's pleasant weather. When visiting this place, it is essential to practise responsible tourism, including protecting the historical features and respecting the cultural atmosphere of the complex.