The Grand Bazaar ( Kapalıçarşı, meaning "Covered Bazaar") is located in Beyazıt -Istanbul. The Bazaar is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with 61 covered streets and over 3,000 shops. 300 000 to 450 000 visitors are visiting The Grand Bazaar a simple day.
It stretches roughly from west to east between the mosques of Beyazit and of Nuruosmaniye. The Bazaar can easily be reached from Sultanahmet and Sirkeci by tram.
According to a 1890 survey, in the Bazaar were active 4,399 shops, 2 Bedesten, 2195 rooms, 1 Hamam, one mosque, 10 Medrese, 19 fountains (among them two Şadırvan and one Sebil), one Mausoleum and 24 Han. In the 30.7 hectares of the complex, protected by 18 gates, there are 3,000 shops along 61 streets, the 2 Bedesten, 13 Han (plus several more outside).
The last major catastrophe happened in 1894, and was due to the strong earthquake which rocked Istanbul in that year. The Minister of Public Works, Mahmud Celaleddin Pașa, supervised the repair of the damaged Bazaar until 1898, and on this occasion the complex was reduced in area. Until the restoration following the quake of 1894, the grand Bazaar had no shops as we know them in the western world: along both sides of the roads merchants sat on wooden divans in front of their shelves.
Today the Grand Bazaar is a thriving complex, employing 26,000 people. According to the head of the Grand Bazaar Artisans Association, the complex has been in 2011 - the year of its 550th birthday - the most visited monument in the world.
The Grand Bazaar is opened each day except Sundays and bank holidays from 9:00 until 19:00.
No comments:
Post a Comment