Grand Bazaar (Kapalıçarşı)
The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul is one of the largest and oldest
covered markets in the world, with more than 58 covered streets
and over 1,200 shops which attract between 250,000 and 400,000
visitors daily. Opened in 1461, it is well known for its jewelry,
pottery, spice, and carpet shops. Many of the stalls in the bazaar are grouped by the type of goods, with special areas for leather
coats, gold jewelry and the like. The bazaar contains two
bedestens
(domed masonry structures built for storage and safe keeping), the first of which was constructed between
1455 and 1461by the order of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror. The bazaar was vastly enlarged in the 16th
century, during the reign of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, and in 1894 underwent a major restoration
following an