Grand Bazaar

Among the covered bazaars built during the Ottoman period, the one in Istanbul
is considered to be the largest covered bazaar and is estimated to have been
built in the 15th century. The only inscription in the structure, which contains
many bazaars with different names, is located in the bazaar built by Hacı Efendi
in 1844 and named after him. In 1870, almost all of the bazaar was burned down
in a fire and was rebuilt with stone material with the efforts of Maraşlı Osman
Pasha. The building is mentioned in the 1907 Ankara Salnamesi as a “magnificent
masonry bazaar” with more than two thousand shops and stores. Kayseri Grand
Bazaar still houses shops selling local food and handicrafts.