GRAND BAZAAR | Experience the Most Exciting Shopping in Grand Bazaar.   

Grand Bazaar located in Istanbul is the biggest covered markets in the world. It has 60 streets and more than 5,000 shops that interests 250,000 to 600,000 visitors everyday.

The bazaar is also one of the oldest bazaars in the world and has been the choice of destination for travelers in many years now. The Grand Bazaar is popular for its jewelry, carpets, antique shops, spices, hand-painted ceramics and embroideries. The stalls in the bazaar are grouped by the type of goods they are selling with particular locations for leather, jewelries and the like.

Since 1461, the Grand Bazaar became an important trading center and its intricate vaults include two hall buildings.

By the order of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, the first building was built in between 1455 and 1461. During the reign of Sultan Suileman the Magnificent in 16th century, the bazaar was greatly expanded. And it underwent a major restoration after it was slightly damage by an earthquake in 1894.

The Grand Bazaar is a home of two mosques, four fountains, several cafes, and two hammans and restaurants. In the center, you can also find a high doomed hall of the Cevahir Bedasten where you can see the most valuable items and antiques that was acquired from the past and even today which includes furniture, jewelries with coral and turquoise, watches and clocks, copperware, inlaid weapons, mirrors of the mother of pearl, amber prayer beads, candlesticks and old coins. After a wonderful time exploring and bargaining for purchases the various products found in the Grand Bazaar, you can now sit and enjoy the good food and drinks in one of the cafes and restaurants.

There are many things that you can find and buy in the bazaar. The gate that is the usual entrance in the bazaar is called Nuruosmaniye Gate which means the light of the Ottomans. This gate usually leads you to the shining street filled of jewelry stores. And because of lower workmanship costs, you can find wide variety of gold, semi-precious stones which includes sapphire, ruby or emerald and precious stones at very reasonable prices. In purchasing great find goods, bargaining is always possible in the bazaar. But never start the bargaining if you are not still decisive on the products you want to buy when the price is finally agreed upon.

The bazaar has its own post office and police station. Shopping in Grand Bazaar is very different in any other shopping center in Central Asia or America. Here, you are welcome by the shop owner or shop care taker with so much enthusiasm and smile and then you are offered by a cup of tea. And the first rule is always accepting the cup of teas that was offered to you. You don’t have to pay the teas nor obligated to purchase anything in the store in exchange. It is rude to turn down their offer of cup of tea. Every shop owner is more than willing to show you all the good things that his store has to offer or if it is just small store, the owner will sit and chat with you about everything inside his store.

The bazaar has four main entrance located at the ends of the two major streets that intersect near the southwestern corner of the bazaar. The names of the four major entrances of the bazaar are Bouquinistes, Hat Shops, Costume Shops and Jewelry Shops. The Grand Bazaar is open from Monday to Saturday from 9:00am to 7:00pm. It closed every Sunday and bank holidays.

You take a tram to Beyazit to get there. And it is around 15 minutes walk form the Aya Sofia mosque.

The Grand Bazaar is one of the most fascinating and genuine place in Istanbul. It is almost that no one has visited the Grand Bazaar who comes to Istanbul. If you want to walk through the outlandish streets of one of the world’s biggest and oldest markets that were lined with thousands of shops. And you want to give into the lure of window shopping, displaying the silver and gold wares each more than the other and feel the carpets and rugs with your hands and gape it with your eyes. And if you want to realize the joy of shopping in a magical ambience then the Grand Bazaar is a must see place. This is the best way to bring back the romantic atmosphere of the Istanbul.