Grand Bazaar, Turkey

Grand Bazaar, Istanbul Turkey

One of the world’s first shopping malls, the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey is also one of the largest covered markets today. With over 3,000 shops along more than 60 covered streets, it has grown over its long history, and now receives from 250,000 to 400,000 customers each day.

The Bazaar first started around 1455 when the Ottoman Empire took control of then Constantinople (now Istanbul), and the expansions to the shopping center were finished by the early seventeenth century. The strategic location of Istanbul helped make the hub of trade and commerce in the Mediterranean. There are four main gates to the Grand Bazaar – one at each of the two major streets, whose intersection is at the southwest corner of the shopping center.

The market’s streets are named for the items sold in their zones, like jewelry, furniture, carpets, leather goods, clothing, and books. The famous Bazaar is a social meeting place, where the community goes to interact, having discussions over coffee, though there were originally no restaurants at the market. Until the mid-nineteenth century, trade at the market was very different from today, with a lack of competition between sellers and a single fixed price for items.

Today, the structure is being renovated to upgrade its heating and lighting and other facilities. Some argue that has become too westernized in recent history, but there are still many traditional parts to be found.