The Spice Bazaar, also known as The Egyptian Bazaar (Turkish: Misir Ҫarşisi, The Egyptian Bazaar) was built in A.D. 1660. The name "Egyptian Bazaar" stems from the fact that the building was financed with the revenue from the province (eyalet) of Egypt. At the time the building was constructed it sat very near to the docks of Constantinople (even now, the Golden Horn is 100 meters away).
Originally named for the variety of spices (and foods) that were sold here - and in many cases still are - it is now becoming more infiltrated by shops selling tourist goods and a rathe surprising array of cheap leather knock-offs.
The entrance to the Spice Bazaar:
The Spice Bazaar is laid out on a long single alleyway which is intersected by a cross alley farther up.
Picture of the ceiling:
At one time, I believe this is where the call to prayer would have been issued from:
Typical display of spices:
Man....that first photo doesn't give any indication of the interior dimensions TB, quite the variety of spices.
ReplyDeleteNylon12, it really is quite deceiving.
DeleteI should also note that they sell large amounts of tea and Turkish Delight - real Turkish Delight, not the "export and for tourists only" stuff. The difference is completely noticeable: having tasted the real thing I can understand how Edmund in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe was willing to sell his siblings out.
I am always appalled at walking into a place full of shops peddling the same cheap trinkets at the next shop all the way down the line. I've never understood who wants to buy those things. If I were looking for a souvenir or a gift to give, I would head right to the spice counter and get a small bag full of some spice I can't get back home.
ReplyDeleteMe as well Ed. The Egyptian Bazaar was not too bad; the Grand Bazaar was awful. So much fake leather and fake coats. And perhaps not surprisingly, the terms "Hello!" and "Hey Sir! Sir" have made their way around the world.
DeleteI have reached the point where I would much rather buy one or two things that are perhaps a little more expensive but are things I will enjoy for the rest of my life rather than trinkets.
I love spices. Have more than I cab ever use in a lifetime. But how to use, amount, which goes with what. Meats, veggies and sweets. Some get used for all but some only with 1 item. So many spices, so short of lifetime. But look at the architecture. Could we even do that today?
ReplyDeleteTraveling has given me a great deal more respect for spices and how to use them.
DeleteCould we build such things today? Possibly - but likely it would need to be a practice of traditional architecture, not what passes for most modern architecture.
Looks like the kind of place one could spend hours exploring. And so clean! That's impressive.
ReplyDeleteLeigh - Surrounding this building is a general bazaar that has all kinds of goods from cheese to vegetables to breads to food to consumer items. It was a very small taste of what it might have been like back in the day.
DeleteTo be fair the Fatih district, which is the Old city of Constantinople, contains a lot of tourist areas and is highly visible - but on the whole Turkey was a very clean country, at least from what we saw.