The construction of the Grand Bazaar, located between Nuruosmaniye, Mercan and Beyazıt, started in 1460 during the reign of Fatih Sultan Mehmet, and the Grand Bazaar has grown and developed over a 250-year period. The Bazaar, which has experienced various earthquakes and fires until today, was destroyed in the earthquake in 1894, and took its present shape with a repair that lasted four years during the reign of Sultan Abdulhamid. In the Ottoman period, in the Grand Bazaar; Valuable goods such as jewellery, precious metals, furs, and murassa, and the state treasury were preserved. The Grand Bazaar was opened with a prayer (Salaten Tüncina) in the morning as tradition and was kept open until the afternoon. Sale of valuable goods was usually held on Thursdays. There are 66 vaulted streets and streets, 24 gates, 2 covered bazaars, 5 mosques, 1 school, 7 fountains, 10 wells, 1 public fountain, 17 inns, and approximately 4000 shops on an area of ​​30,700 square meters in the Grand Bazaar. Evliya Çelebi's Travelogue states that in the 17th century, there were 4399 shops, 2195 cells, 497 cabinets, 2 restaurants, 12 cellars, 1 bath, 1 mosque, 10 masjids, 16 fountains, 8 wells with 8 pumps, 24 office buildings, 1 school and 1 tomb in the 17th century. stated. The first covered bazaar, "İç Bedesten", that is, Cevahir Bedesten (Bedesten-i Atik), which is thought to belong to the Byzantine period and forms the core of the Grand Bazaar, whose historical name is Çarşu-yı Kebir (Great Bazaar), was built in 1460 to generate income for Hagia Sophia. This Bedesten, 48x36 meters in size, has a rectangular plan with 15 brickwork domes sitting on 8 massive pillars. Its second important structure, “New Bedesten”, also known as “Sandal Bedesten (Bezzasistan-ı Atik)”, was added as a result of the repairs it underwent between 1545-1550. It has a dome with 20 bricks on 12 elephant feet and measures 40x32 meters. The other sections were shaped as unsymmetrical to each other, according to the earthquakes and the additions made with the repairs. Valuable goods, jewelry and money were kept in the iron safes on the walls of both bedestens.

There is an inscription "Elkasib Habibullah" above the gate of the Grand Bazaar in the direction of Beyazıt and the tughra of Sultan Abdulhamid II, an inscription on the door in the direction of the Nur-u Osmaniye Mosque, and the coat of arms of the Ottoman State. The Grand Bazaar was repaired many times as a result of earthquakes and fires in the historical process. In 1766, Architect Ahmed Ağa was repaired by architects including Sarkis Balyan in the 1894 earthquake. Restoration work continues in the Bazaar, which was restored in the 20th century in 1956 and 1979. It is possible to buy jewelry, carpets and fabrics, antiques and souvenirs from silver and precious stones, especially gold jewellery. Visiting the Grand Bazaar allows you to breathe the historical air of Istanbul, to witness its economic dynamics, to experience Istanbul in a covered bazaar.

Source: Ahunbay, Z., Batur, A., Gülersoy, N. Z., Kılınçaslan, T., Kuban, D., Ahunbay, M., Ağır, A. and Köksal, G. (2015). Istanbul Architecture Guide, Volume 1: Historical Peninsula, pp: 104-105. Istanbul: TMMOB Chamber of Architects, Istanbul Metropolitan Branch.