Kapalıçarşı

 

A capital city of three different empires, İstanbul stands defiant against the passage of time.  Amidst the ageless city there are countless things to discover: ruins, mosques, churches, monuments, palaces... but forefront of them all is Kapalıçarşı, or the Covered Bazaar.

The Bazaar is over 600 years old and has 61 covered streets and 3000 shops.  It's a labyrinth of mercantilism where the careless can become lost easily.  Of course, it's easy enough for you to find your way out, but a little more difficult for your wallet to make it out intact.  A few Saturdays back, when we explored only a portion of the market, we were only two of an estimated 250 000 - 400 000 that pass through daily.

Its beginnings
can be traced back to the year 1455, when shortly after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople, Sultan Mehmet II dedicated a monument to the trading of textiles on what is now the site fo the Bazaar.  By the 17th century, it was an artery for world trade, with goods flowing from three continents through the Ottoman's capital city of İstanbul.  It was a gateway to Europe for all sorts of goods flowing from the Ottoman controlled Middle East and the Orient.  Nowadays, it has survived many fires and earthquakes to house everything from bath houses, madrasas and mausoleums on its way to becoming one of the city's most recognizable landmarks.  There is cheap bric-a-brac for a few kurush and antiques for thousands of lira   There is gold, silver, kitchen ware, house ware, tailors, carpets, restaurants, cafes, leather, clothes, antiques, art work, spice in bulk, food and more. I could show more pictures of it, but why not go watch 2012's Skyfall or Taken 2?  The Bazaar is in both movies, after all.

I created more of a stir with my entrance.