The Grand Bazaar Today
Today the Grand Bazaar is a thriving complex, employing 26,000 people visited by between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily, and one of the major landmarks of Istanbul. It must fight the competition of the giant malls built everywhere in Istanbul, but its beauty and fascination represent a formidable advantage for it. According to the head of the Grand Bazaar Artisans Association, the complex has been in 2011 - the year of its 550th birthday - the most visited monument in the world. A restoration project starting in 2012 should renew its infrastructure, heating and lighting systems. Moreover, the Hans inside the Market will be renovated and later additions will be demolished. This project should finally solve the big problems of the market: for example, in the whole Bazaar there is no proper toilet facility. Moreover, the lacks of controls in the past years allowed many dealers to remove columns and skive walls in their shops to gain space: This, together with the substitution of lead (stolen in the last years) with concrete on the market's roof, has created a great hazard when the earthquake expected in Istanbul in the next years will occur.
The Grand Bazaar is opened each day except Sundays and bank holidays from 9:00 until 19:00.
| Grand Bazaar Images |
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One of the 17th-century kiosks, which used to be a small cafe.
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One of the four marble drinking fountains
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The Bazaar after closing hour.
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Lanterns hanging in a shop.
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Young boy standing in the door of a lantern shop.
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Faucets of a fountain in the bazaar
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