It is now certain, for example, that Mehmed the Conqueror had build the two Bedestans which were to serve as forerunners to the Grand Bazaar - the first in 1461.
A small taste of a tiny section of the bazaar: To the left of a little kiosk there is a door with glass wings on either side; descending the two steps you arrive at the antique section of the Bedestan; on sale here are objects in copper, bronze, every sort of souvenir to tempt the visitor; it is a field of exploration criss-crossed like a chequer board, in which the lanes meet and intersect endlessly. Stoves, braziers, weapons armour, ikons, carpets, embroideries, rings, ancient coins, porcelain vases, objects fashioned in silver, all kinds of treasures are to be found here.
Çelik Gülersoy, from A Guide to Istanbul.
I left New Zealand mid-2003, bound for Istanbul and a new lif. After two years, a Belgian guy lured me into his world, deep in the heart of Europe. For a long time I was an in-process immigrant. One day we married. These days it's about photography, a little red wine and wandering ... and so the journey goes.
pheew... it's hard to keep up with the posting frenzy you're on these days, Di :-D
ReplyDeletebut what a treat it is; your bazaar photos are a great taster & teaser. love me some bazaar, so i'll have to go to this one - didn't know it was the biggest...
I have so much photo processing work to do here, kompo Stella, that I kind of sidestep out into a post to take a break.
ReplyDeleteI think there's 2000 or more shops in the bazaar. It's a beautiful magical challenging place. You do need to go :)
Wow, brings back good memories. enjoying your posts!
ReplyDeleteThanks Julie. It was good to be back there again :)
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