Tajerun

The Tajerun story began long before Tajerun itself.

From the days when the tale of "Bibi Qamar" on Basalam was not just a story for us — it was a belief.

Bibi Qamar — a mother in her sixties whose greatest worldly possession was a clever reddish-brown camel.

A belief that small businesses, kind people, small workshops, and the anonymous hands of this land, if seen, can astonish the world.

For years at Basalam, we stood alongside thousands of Iranian businesses.

We heard their stories.

Stories of heroic women and men who produced in cities, villages, and workshops near and far, and built their work with hope.

Stories of people whose great hearts were their most important capital for building.

Our wish from those very days was that one day, the story of these businesses would not remain only in Iran.

That a day would come when Iran's products, art, taste, and quality would find their way to markets in other countries as well.

After many ups and downs, we set out for Iraq.

We went not only to see the market;

We went to see the people.

We went to sit with the stories of Iraqi businesses too.

We walked through the markets of Baghdad, Najaf, Karbala, and Basra.

We spoke with wholesalers, shopkeepers, distributors, and small businesses.

We saw that on the other side of the border too, there are people with the same concerns: finding good products, a reliable supplier, fair prices, and a simple way to trade.

We tried and erred many times.

We failed.

We rebuilt.

We went again.

We learned again.

Until gradually, the stories on both sides of the border intertwined.

And right there, Tajerun was born.

And so the story goes...

One of Tajerun's first real stories began with a few packages of dried fruit.

Samples of dried fruit from Ms. Naser's stall at Gakh on Basalam arrived as samples at Mr. Fahd's shop in Baghdad.

But when Mr. Fahd asked about the fruit, he learned the shop staff had eaten all of it and nothing was left for him!

He had only heard the description.

To hear is to order.

Mr. Fahd's satisfaction was the start of a path.

After that, Mr. Fahd's next orders arrived one by one:

Barzak village distillatesIsfahan dried tomatoesZanjan pomegranateQom pomegranate sauceTavakoli matches, TabrizKerman rose petalsQaen barberries and saffronAnd dozens more stories that continue to this day

Footnote

^۱ This refers to the beautiful tale of "Moses and the Shepherd" by Rumi.

In this beautiful parable, God teaches Moses (peace be upon him) that each servant speaks to their Lord in their own language and way, and that the mission of prophets is to create connection (wasl) and empathy, not separation and distance.

We came to unite
Not to divide

Full poem

وحی آمد سوی موسی از خدا

بندهٔ ما را ز ما کردی جدا

تو برای وصل کردن آمدی

یا برای فَصل کردن آمدی؟

تا توانی پا مَنِه اندر فَراق

اَبْغَضُ الْاَشْیاء عِندي الطَّلاق

هر کسی را سیرتی بنهاده‌ام

هر کسی را اصطلاحی داده‌ام

در حقِ او مَدح و در حقِّ تو ذَم

در حقِ او شَهد و در حقِّ تو سَم

ما بَری از پاک و ناپاکی همه

از گِرانجانی و چالاکی همه

من نکردم امر تا سودی کنم

بَلک تا بر بندگان جودی کنم

هندوان را اصطلاحِ هند مدح

سندیان را اصطلاحِ سِند مدح

من نگردم پاک از تسبیحِشان

پاک هم ایشان شوند و دُرفِشان

ما زبان را نَنْگریم و قال را

ما روان را بنگریم و حال را

ناظرِ قلبیم اگر خاشِع بوَد

گرچه گفتِ لَفظ، ناخاضِع رُوَد

زانک دل جَوهر بوَد، گفتن عَرَض

پس طُفَیل آمد عَرَض، جَوهرْ غَرَض

چند ازین اَلفاظ و اِضْمار و مَجاز؟

سوزْ خواهمْ سوز، با آن سوزْ ساز

آتشی از عشق در جانْ بَر فُروز

سَر بِسَر فکر و عبارت را بسوز

موسیا آداب‌دانان دیگرند

سوخته جان و روانان دیگرند

عاشقان را هر نفَسْ سوزیدَنیست

بر دِهِ ویران خَراج و عُشْر نیست

گر خطا گوید، وُرا خاطی مگو

گر بوَد پُر خون شهید، او را مشو

خون، شهیدان را ز آب اَولیٰ تَرَست

این خطا، از صد صَواب اَولیٰ ترست

در درونِ کعبه رسمِ قبله نیست

چه غم اَر غَوّاص را پاچیله نیست؟

تو ز سَرمَستان قَلاوُزی مجو

جامه‌چاکان را چه فرمایی رَفو؟

ملتِ عشق از همه دینها جداست

عاشقان را ملت و مذهب خداست

لَعْل را گر مُهر نبوَد باک نیست

عشق در دریای غم، غمناک نیست

Rumi, Masnavi, Book Two, Section 36

The Tajerun story began long before Tajerun itself.

From the days when the tale of "Bibi Qamar" on Basalam was not just a story for us — it was a belief.

A belief that small businesses, kind people, small workshops, and the anonymous hands of this land, if seen, can astonish the world.

For years at Basalam, we stood alongside thousands of Iranian businesses.

We heard their stories.

Stories of heroic women and men who produced in cities, villages, and workshops near and far, and built their work with hope.

Stories of people whose great hearts were their most important capital for building.

Our wish from those very days was that one day, the story of these businesses would not remain only in Iran.

That a day would come when Iran's products, art, taste, and quality would find their way to markets in other countries as well.

After many ups and downs, we set out for Iraq.

We went not only to see the market;

We went to see the people.

We went to sit with the stories of Iraqi businesses too.

We walked through the markets of Baghdad, Najaf, Karbala, and Basra.

We spoke with wholesalers, shopkeepers, distributors, and small businesses.

We saw that on the other side of the border too, there are people with the same concerns: finding good products, a reliable supplier, fair prices, and a simple way to trade.

We tried and erred many times.

We failed.

We rebuilt.

We went again.

We learned again.

Until gradually, the stories on both sides of the border intertwined.

And right there, Tajerun was born.

And so the story goes...

One of Tajerun's first real stories began with a few packages of dried fruit.

Samples of dried fruit from Ms. Naser's stall at Gakh on Basalam arrived as samples at Mr. Fahd's shop in Baghdad.

But when Mr. Fahd asked about the fruit, he learned the shop staff had eaten all of it and nothing was left for him!

He had only heard the description.

To hear is to order.

Mr. Fahd's satisfaction was the start of a path.

After that, Mr. Fahd's next orders arrived one by one:

Footnote

^۱ This refers to the beautiful tale of "Moses and the Shepherd" by Rumi.

We came to unite
Not to divide

Full poem

وحی آمد سوی موسی از خدا

بندهٔ ما را ز ما کردی جدا

تو برای وصل کردن آمدی

یا برای فَصل کردن آمدی؟

تا توانی پا مَنِه اندر فَراق

اَبْغَضُ الْاَشْیاء عِندي الطَّلاق

هر کسی را سیرتی بنهاده‌ام

هر کسی را اصطلاحی داده‌ام

در حقِ او مَدح و در حقِّ تو ذَم

در حقِ او شَهد و در حقِّ تو سَم

ما بَری از پاک و ناپاکی همه

از گِرانجانی و چالاکی همه

من نکردم امر تا سودی کنم

بَلک تا بر بندگان جودی کنم

هندوان را اصطلاحِ هند مدح

سندیان را اصطلاحِ سِند مدح

من نگردم پاک از تسبیحِشان

پاک هم ایشان شوند و دُرفِشان

ما زبان را نَنْگریم و قال را

ما روان را بنگریم و حال را

ناظرِ قلبیم اگر خاشِع بوَد

گرچه گفتِ لَفظ، ناخاضِع رُوَد

زانک دل جَوهر بوَد، گفتن عَرَض

پس طُفَیل آمد عَرَض، جَوهرْ غَرَض

چند ازین اَلفاظ و اِضْمار و مَجاز؟

سوزْ خواهمْ سوز، با آن سوزْ ساز

آتشی از عشق در جانْ بَر فُروز

سَر بِسَر فکر و عبارت را بسوز

موسیا آداب‌دانان دیگرند

سوخته جان و روانان دیگرند

عاشقان را هر نفَسْ سوزیدَنیست

بر دِهِ ویران خَراج و عُشْر نیست

گر خطا گوید، وُرا خاطی مگو

گر بوَد پُر خون شهید، او را مشو

خون، شهیدان را ز آب اَولیٰ تَرَست

این خطا، از صد صَواب اَولیٰ ترست

در درونِ کعبه رسمِ قبله نیست

چه غم اَر غَوّاص را پاچیله نیست؟

تو ز سَرمَستان قَلاوُزی مجو

جامه‌چاکان را چه فرمایی رَفو؟

ملتِ عشق از همه دینها جداست

عاشقان را ملت و مذهب خداست

لَعْل را گر مُهر نبوَد باک نیست

عشق در دریای غم، غمناک نیست

Rumi, Masnavi, Book Two, Section 36

The Tajerun Story

And so the story goes...

Footnote

Tajerun

For buyers

For vendors

Legal

The Tajerun Story

And so the story goes...

Footnote

Tajerun

For buyers

For vendors

Legal