Thursday, 14 February 2008

istanbul grand bazaar



Istanbul: Grand Bazaar

Our wifi connection has been slow and unsteady lately, so I have been

slow updating. Just a few pictures of shopping madness at the Grand

Bazaar (AKA the Covered Bazaar) in central Istanbul at Beyazit. This

is the Mother Of All Shopping Malls, the central consumer market of

the Ottoman Empire. NOTE: Nothing at all was bought during the taking

of these pictures!

Ringing the bazaar are dozens of hans, which house the associations of

merchants from various trades and regions. They are a combination of

warehouse, hotel, insurance company and religious brotherhood all

rolled into one, and have existed for hundreds of years.

This is the han of the central Asian rug and textile sellers.

Fumie with our latest kebab shop discovery (US$ 2.50 a lunch. Around

the corner from us in Karak�y.)

And wandering around Kadik�y on the Asian side of Istanbul we found

some great music in a fish resturant bar. All the fish bars attract

Gypsy �alga musicians.

The other night we went to visit a meyhane near Taxim to take pictures

for fumie's job. Meyhanes are resturants that specialize in long set

dinners featuring about three hours of serial appetizers called meze,

which are acommpaniied by glasses of strong raki and a band playing

fasil, light classical Istanbul songs, to which everybody sings along.


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