Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Top Sights
Grand Bazaar
When Mehmet the Conqueror laid the Kapalı Çarşı's
foundation stone in 1455, he gave the imperial imprimatur
to a local mercantile tradition that has remained strong ever
since. Located in the centre of the Old City, this atmospher-
ic covered market is the heart of İstanbul in much more
than a geographic sense - artisans learn their trade here,
businessmen negotiate important deals and tourists make a
valuable contribution to the local economy (sometimes, it must be said, against their better
judgments).
Kapalı Çarşı, Covered Market
OFFLINE MAP
9am-7pm Mon-Sat
Beyazıt-Kapalı Çarşı
Don't Miss
Nuruosmaniye Mosque & Gate
Built in Ottoman baroque style between 1748 and 1755, this mosque is located on the busy
pedestrian route from Cağaloğlu Sq and Nuruosmaniye Caddesi to the bazaar, but is sur-
prisingly peaceful inside. It is located next to one of the major entrances to the Grand
Bazaar, the Nuruosmaniye Kapısı (Nuruosmaniye Gate; Gate 1), which is adorned with a
golden
tuğra
(crest of the sultan).
Kalpakçılar Caddesi
Shop windows crammed with glittering gold jewellery line both sides of the bazaar's
busiest thoroughfare. Originally named after the makers of
kalpakçılars
(fur hats) who had
their stores here, it's now full of jewellers who pay up to US$80,000 per year in rent for
this high-profile location. In recent years, chain retail stores such as MAC Cosmetics have
begun to open outlets along its length, triggering protests by the bazaar's traditional artis-
ans.
