Through the Markets and Bazaars - Strolling Through Istanbul: The Classic Guide to the City - page 153

8
hrough the
Markets and Bazaars
The region between Beyazit Square and the Galata Bridge is the
principal market district of the city. This is one of the oldest and
most picturesque quarters of Stamboul, and the tumultuous streets
are full of clamour and commotion, with cars, trucks, carts and
porters forcing their way through the milling crowds of shoppers
and pavement vendors. Although colourful and fascinating, this
neighbourhood can be somewhat wearing for the stroller, for it is
often difficult to find one's way in the narrow, winding streets, most
of which are not identified by signs, and one is continually fleeing
to avoid being knocked down by herculean porters or run down by
a lorry. And so, before beginning this tour, one is advised to prepare
oneself, as do the Stamboullus, by having a bracing glass of tea in
Çınaraltı, the old outdoor çayevi in Beyazit Square.
While sitting in the teahouse one can observe some of the streetside
shops and markets which are so characteristic of this district. The
street at the far end of the square is called Bakırcılar Caddesi, the
Avenue of the Copper-Workers, where most of the coppersmiths of
the city make and sell their wares. We will find that many of the
streets in this district are named after the tradesmen and artisans who
carry on their activies there, as they have for centuries past.
Leaving the teahouse, we pass through the gate beside the mosque
(the Gate of the Spoon-Makers) and enter the Sahaflar Çarşısı, the
Market of the Secondhand Book Sellers. The Sahaflar Çarşısı is one
of the most ancient markets in the city, occupying the site of the
Chartoprateia, the topic and paper market of Byzantium. After the
Conquest this became the market for the turban-makers and metal-
engravers, at which time it was called the Hakkaklar Çarşısı, named
after the latter of those two guilds. At the beginning of the eighteenth