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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