Nearly 550 years after its foundation, Istanbul's Grand Bazaar remains one of the world's busiest marketplaces, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors each day to its maze of historic streets, vaulted passageways and centuries-old trading traditions.
The historic market welcomes around 400,000 visitors on an average day and as many as 700,000 to 800,000 on weekends, according to Ilhami Yazici, chairman of the Grand Bazaar's management board. During holidays and special occasions, visitor numbers can reach as high as 4 million.
"The Grand Bazaar boasts stockbrokers, financiers, manufacturers and wholesalers on every street," Yazici told Anadolu.
Spread across thousands of shops, the bazaar remains a commercial center where traces of its historic trade structure are still visible.
“Every street had its own unique characteristics, such as a carpet street, a jewelry street, a slipper street, a curtain street, a bridal gown street and even one selling furniture when I first entered the bazaar in 1981,” he said.
He said residents from across Istanbul traditionally came to the Grand Bazaar to prepare for weddings and other major life events, often purchasing everything they needed in a single visit.
While many of those traditions remain, the bazaar has increasingly become a destination for international visitors, attracting tourists with its jewelry, handwoven carpets, textiles, souvenirs and cafes.
A city within a city
The Grand Bazaar contains around 2,550 shops, including the historic Cevahir and Sandal bedestens, while the total rises to about 4,300 when adjacent caravanserais are included.
It also has 23 gates, 21 of which remain in active use, said Yazici, connecting the sprawling marketplace to surrounding streets in Istanbul's historic peninsula.
He added that Kalpakcilar Street, one of the bazaar's best-known thoroughfares, has historically been home to money changers, jewelers and makers of traditional Ottoman-style fur caps known as kalpaks.
Today, the market hosts businesses catering to both domestic and international visitors, with locally produced souvenirs, handcrafted ceramics, textiles and carpets among its most popular offerings.
Yazici noted that the Cevahir Bedesten, which dates back to the 15th century, once served as a secure storage area where merchants kept their valuables and safes overnight during the Ottoman era before retrieving them each morning to begin trading.
The bazaar also preserves traditions dating back centuries.
One of them centers on the Prayer Square, where merchants symbolically open their shops with a prayer.
"The Grand Bazaar was a market where Syrians, Armenians, Jews, Greeks and Muslims all conducted trade," Yazici said. "During the Ottoman era, every Friday the Prayer Square hosted prayers, and we’re continuing that tradition.”
He said a new project will soon allow visitors to scan QR codes to learn more about its history, architecture and traditions.
Exploring the rooftops
In recent years, the Grand Bazaar has also opened parts of its rooftop to visitors following a major restoration project.
The rooftop section, renovated as part of a six-year restoration covering 44,000 square meters (473,612 square feet), now attracts around 300 visitors a day through guided tours in groups of 10.
"We provide insurance for the groups admitted and accompany them with guides and security personnel," Yazici said. "We ensure they can safely explore all pedestrian walkways around the bazaar."
He added that the tours have become an additional source of revenue while offering visitors panoramic views of the city.
Among the products drawing particular interest from visitors are handcrafted ceramics from Iznik, a town in the northwestern province of Bursa renowned for its centuries-old pottery tradition.
For many visitors, however, the bazaar's greatest attraction is its history.
"The Grand Bazaar is one of the most beautiful markets in the world," said a tourist visiting the market. "It has an incredible history and heritage, and we get to learn a lot thanks to our tour guide."
*Writing by Emir Yildirim
