Grand Bazaar

About Grand Bazaar

Bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey

The Grand Bazaar, the Covered Market (Kapalicarsi), in the Fatih district of Istanbul is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with 61 covered streets and more than 4,000 shops over 30,700 square metres, drawing between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors a day. In 2014 it was ranked the most visited tourist attraction in the world with 91 million visitors a year, and it is often regarded as one of the first shopping malls in history. Construction began soon after the conquest of Constantinople on the orders of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, around the old domed bedesten that was the centre of trade in precious textiles and jewellery, and over the centuries it grew with caravanserais, streets and many gates into a complete commercial city under one roof. The shops are still arranged by their wares as in Ottoman markets: one street for goldsmiths, another for carpets, others for leather, shoes, ceramics, lanterns and antiques. Prices are higher than elsewhere in the city and Istanbul's residents rarely shop here, but its historic atmosphere, with painted vaults, old coffee houses and an enormous range of goods, makes it one of the unmissable experiences of Istanbul, and some of the antique dealers hold genuinely rare pieces.

Where:

Istanbul, Türkiye