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The Covered Bazaar
The
Covered Bazaar, the largest covered market place in the world which
consists of approximately sixty lanes and more than three thousand
shops, is situated in the centre of the city. This unique and interesting
market place is one of those places in the city which one must see
to really appreciate.
The
bazaar was established by Mehmet II shortly after the conquest of
the city in 1453 which then consist of two bedestens; the Cevahir
Bedesteni and the Sandal Bedesteni. The Cevahir Bedesteni is a great
hall roofed by fifteen domes which includes 44 small shops that
have arched entrances. The Sandal Bedesteni has twenty domes, more
than any other Ottoman bedesten. The Bazaar can be entered by several
gateways, two of the most useful being Carsikapi Gate ( from Beyazit
tram stop )and Nuruosmaniye Gate ( from Nuruosmaniye Mosque ).
The
city-like bazaar is completely covered and it has grown in size
over the centuries. The new streets that formed on both sides of
the structure were also covered by a series of domes. Every kind
of valuable fabric, jewellery, weapons and antique objects are sold
by merchants from families which, for generations, had dealt in
the same trade. Jewellers line the main street in the bazaar. The
goldsmiths are on a side street at right angles to the main street.
Prices vary, and bargaining is customery in these small stores.
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Interior
view of Covered Bazaar
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