Friday, May 01, 2009

A shop in the Grand Bazaar, Istanbul


Grand Bazaar II, Istanbul, originally uploaded by - di.

I love wandering in Istanbul's bazaar ... there are hundreds of small shops like this in the labyrinth of this ancient sprawling 'shopping mall'.

Described as follows in an old but famous guidebook written by Çelik Gülersoy , a Turkish lawyer, historical preservationist, writer and poet.

It is not simply a building nor a market nor even a district that we find facing us now but a city a separate urban area with its own alleys and throughfares and streets a labyrinth of shops and passages in complicated interdependence, always fascinating to explore.

I chose the word 'labyrinth' before reading him because obviously this is only word that comes close to capturing something of this amazing bazaar - the largest oriental souk in the world

3 comments:

RD said...

Wow, a feast for the eyes! I might just swoon if I were to walk into this place.

furiousBall said...

that's like a buffet of food for my eyeballs, beautiful

Di Mackey said...

Oh, only for a moment RD, then you might find one the cafes in its ancient heart and watch for a while ... it's an amazing place to wander through.

I'm so pleased, Van. Not only that, there are all kinds of other beautiful places there, from post-modern back through every stage to ancient.