Grand Bazaar

Grand Bazaar in Istanbul

The Grand Bazaar (Turkish: Kapalıçarşı, meaning ‘Grand Bazaar’)[1] in Istanbul, Turkey is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world. It has 61 covered streets. There are more than 3,000 shops.[2] As of 2014, there were no official statistics about the number of shops in the Bazaar. But it varies between 3,000 and 4,000. The bazaar attracts between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily.[3] In 2013, it is listed as number one among the world's most-visited tourist attractions with 91,250,000 annual visitors.[4]

The bazaar was built in Ottoman times by Mehmet the Conquerer. It was grown by Suleiman the Magnificent. The Grand Bazaar occupies 30 square kilometres (12 square miles). There were hammams, inns, mosques and fountains in bazaar.

The Grand Bazaar is located inside the walled city of Istanbul. It is in the district of Fatih, in the neighbourhood bearing the same name, (Kapalıçarşı).

References

  1. Wolfgang Müller-Wiener, Bildlexikon zur Topographie Istanbuls: Byzantion, Konstantinupolis, Istanbul bis zum Beginn d. 17 Jh (Tübingen: Wasmuth, 1977), p. 345
  2. Wolfgang Müller-Wiener, Bildlexikon zur Topographie Istanbuls: Byzantion, Konstantinupolis, Istanbul bis zum Beginn d. 17 Jh (Tübingen: Wasmuth, 1977), p. 349
  3. "The Grand Bazaar". Archived from the original on 3 September 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  4. "World's Most-Visited Tourist Attractions". Retrieved 2 June 2015.