Here are some great things to buy at Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar, which is one of the city’s main attractions. You can easily spend a day exploring the Bazaar’s multitude of covered streets, which house over several thousand different kiosks. It offers a visually pleasing and aromatically charged walking experience, with vivid colours and herbal scents.
The Grand Bazaar’s numerous kiosks sell everything from kilim rugs, Turkish teas, Turkish delights and spices, to colourful crafts in all shapes and sizes. Let this list of Istanbul souvenir shopping ideas help you on your bargain hunting adventures at one of the world’s largest and oldest covered markets.
Grand Bazaar and Architectural Features
The Grand Bazaar Today
The Grand Bazaar (Kapalıçarşı) was constructed in 1455 as a center for local trade of clothing and jewels. Ottoman Sultan Fatih Sultan Mehmet, commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror, ordered the construction of two stone buildings where merchants could sell their products and make a profit for the Hagia Sofia Mosque.
Layout of the Historical Bazaar
Built by Fatih Sultan Mehmet, one of the sultans of the Ottoman Empire, the Grand Bazaar is a shopping market covered with domes. Two bedestens form the backbone of this historical area, which was also known as “Çarsu-yı Kebir” in the past.
The first covered bazaar, whose construction started in 1460, was named Cevahir. After the opening of the Cevahir covered bazaar, the sultan of the period created a commercial market by integrating various shops and shopping stalls there.
