Istanbul Grand Bazaar ( Kapalıçarşı ) is Located in the middle of Beyazıt, Nuruosmaniye ( Sultanahmet ) and Mercan neighborhoods covered market and is one of the largest buildings in the world. It has 24 gates, 61 streets and covers an area of 307,000 m². In this bazaar, more than 35,000 traders bustle daily in 4,500 shops, haggling with up to 500,000 buyers, locals and foreign visitors from all over the world.
It is one of the oldest covered markets in the world, built in 1460 by Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror. At that time, merchants travelling on the trade routes met here, and the market grew in size. The core(bedesten) of the original covered structure is still intact today.
There are several sections to the bazaar’s labyrinthine layout. The central area consists of a number of covered shopping malls or “bedesten.” Then, these bedsits are split up into smaller portions where particular products are offered. The Grand Bazaar’s base is made up of two of the oldest bedestens: the iç Bedesten and the sandal bedesten. As construction was finished, more neighborhood business owners set up their own booths in the streets nearby to sell goods including jewelry, old carpets, food, spices, textiles, and much more. As time went on, certain districts merged into others. You quickly see why Istanbul, Turkey, is one of the best shopping cities in all of Europe.
You will find good quality jewellery, antiques, old carpets, kilims, textiles, handbags, copperware, silks, scarfs, clothes, antiques, leather jackets, chess sets, and even wedding dresses. With our experience, you can take a shopping tour in the covered bazaar.
Tours and activities that may interest you ;
