Grand Bazaar – The Cherry of Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The city has a lengthy historical background to the Ottoman Empire.

This city was once the Ottoman Empire's capital. Because of the easy integration of several cultures, it was recognized as the world's centre.

The Grand Bazaar is the cherry on top of this lovely city. It is one among the world's most famous shopping locations, known in Turkish as Kapal?çar??.

The Grand Bazaar is a more than 550-year-old covered market in Beyazit, Istanbul's Historical Peninsula. It's also one of the world's largest and oldest covered markets. Suppose few days remain in your tourist turkey e visa. In that case, the Grand Bazaar is a famous tourist attraction and an excellent spot for travellers to finish their Istanbul vacation by shopping for gifts for their family and friends before leaving for the airport.

What Should You Expect, See, and Purchase?

The Istanbul Grand Bazaar is a 47,000-square-meter complex of covered labyrinthine streets, passages, and corridors with 64 lanes, 4,000 shops, 22 entry points, and 25,000 employees.

From the most delicate silky shawls and scarves in classic styles to traditional things, from antiques, leather goods, pottery to the famous carpets, spices, beautiful handicrafts to gold and jewellery, Grand Bazaar has it everything.

The Grand Bazaar is also the centre of Turkish gold and foreign exchange. The jewellery stores, in particular, attract the most attention.

The Grand Bazaar is a fantastic historical landmark as well as a terrific location to buy. You may go on a journey while surrounded by the tempting scents of spices, beautiful colours of markets, unique handicrafts, Turkish delight, and the enticing aroma of Turkish coffee.

One of the finest shopping experiences in Istanbul is a day trip to the Grand Bazaar.

The Grand Bazaar also has a vintage coffee shop where you may have the best Turkish coffee prepared over a coal fire. Traditional Turkish food is also available at one of the restaurants.

Modern Grand Bazaar

The Grand Bazaar is now a unique structure with a long history and close connections to Turkish culture. Even if you had intended to avoid buying during your vacation to Turkey, shopping at the Grand Bazaar is a must-do! Don't miss out on one of Istanbul's oldest cultural events.

The Grand Bazaar is located in Beyazid, Istanbul's centre, close to Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, and a variety of other popular sites.

Some History

The Grand Bazaar's history went back to the Byzantium period in the 15th century. During the Byzantium period, a small series of shops existed on the covered bazaar, one of the world's oldest markets.

Following the conquest of Istanbul, the market was expanded with large buildings by Fatih Sultan Mehmet in 1456-61 and was dubbed the "Big Market" throughout the Ottoman Empire.

The bazaar was a popular hub for fabric business, and the Sultan ordered that all profits from the market be donated to the Hagia Sophia.

The Grand Bazaar grew to be a beautiful hub of the Empire under the reign of Kanuni Sultan Suleiman. With its mosque, tomb, and school, along with the site and more than 4,000 large shops, 2,000 small shops, 20 inns, and 16 fountains in the bazaar area, it has been expanded even more than it is now.

Massive fires and earthquakes damaged the majority of these buildings. After the massive earthquake of 1894, the Grand Bazaar was severely damaged, and trading was on the verge of stopping.

The bazaar was reconstructed with great effort by Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II and is now in its current state. Sultan Abdulhamid II's tughra may be seen near the Grand Bazaar's gate towards the Beyazit direction.

Visiting Hours & Admissions

Opening Hours

The Grand Bazaar is open from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. every day except Sunday.

Closed on Sundays + national holidays

Because of the absence of room in the nearby Beyazit Mosque, we recommend that you consider that trips to the Grand Bazaar may be restricted during Muslims' Friday worship at noon.

Admission

The Grand Bazaar is entirely free to enter.

What is the best way to get to Grand Bazaar?

Location

The Grand Bazaar is situated in the Fatih district's Beyazit district, along Beyazit Square. See the map for further information.

The most convenient way to travel to Beyazit is to take the Bagcilar-Kabatas tram (T1 line).

Beyazit is the closest tram station.

Take the funicular to Kabatas (from Taksim Square) or Karakoy (from Tunel Square) and then the tram from Taksim.

If you stay in one of the Sultanahmet hotels, you can walk or take a 5-minute tram to the Grand Bazaar. So, why are you waiting to apply for a turkey visa online and grab this cherry right away?

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