The Spice Bazaar ( tr, Mısır Çarşısı, meaning "Egyptian Bazaar") in

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

is one of the largest

bazaar A bazaar () or souk (; also transliterated as souq) is a marketplace consisting of multiple small Market stall, stalls or shops, especially in the Middle East, the Balkans, North Africa and India. However, temporary open markets elsewhere, suc ...

s in the city. Located in the

Eminönü Eminönü is a predominantly commercial waterfront area of Istanbul within the Fatih district near the confluence of the Golden Horn with the southern entrance of the Bosphorus strait and the Sea of Marmara. It is connected to Karaköy (historic G ...

quarter of the

Fatih Fatih () is a district of and a municipality (''belediye'') in Istanbul, Turkey, and home to almost all of the provincial authorities (including the governor's office, police headquarters, metropolitan municipality and tax office) but not the co ...

district, it is the most famous covered shopping complex after the Grand Bazaar.

History

There are several documents suggesting that the name of the bazaar was first "New Bazaar". Then it got its name "Egyptian Bazaar" ( tr, Mısır Çarşısı) because it was built with the revenues from the Ottoman

eyalet Eyalets ( Ottoman Turkish: ایالت, , English: State), also known as beylerbeyliks or pashaliks, were a primary administrative division of the Ottoman Empire. From 1453 to the beginning of the nineteenth century the Ottoman local government ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

in 1660.

John Freely John Freely (26 June 1926 – 20 April 2017) was an American physicist, teacher, and author of popular travel and history books on Istanbul, Athens, Venice, Turkey, Greece, and the Ottoman Empire. He was the father of writer and Turko-English lite ...

:
The Companion Guide to Istanbul
(2000) The word ''mısır'' has a double meaning in Turkish: "

" and "

maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...

". This is why sometimes the name is wrongly translated as "Corn Bazaar". The bazaar was (and still is) the center for

spice A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for flavoring or as a garnish. Spices a ...

trade in Istanbul, but in recent years shops of other types are gradually replacing the sellers of spices. The building itself is part of the ''

külliye A külliye ( ota, كلية) is a complex of buildings associated with Turkish architecture centered on a mosque and managed within a single institution, often based on a waqf (charitable foundation) and composed of a madrasa, a Dar al-Shifa ("c ...

'' (complex) of the New Mosque. The revenues obtained from the rented shops inside the bazaar building were used for the upkeeping of the

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

. The structure was designed by the court architect Koca Kasım Ağa, but the construction works began under the supervision of another court architect, Mustafa Ağa, in the last months of 1660; following Istanbul's

Great Fire of 1660 Two thirds of Constantinople (now Istanbul) were destroyed in the Great Fire of 1660. The chronicler Abdi Paşa estimated that the fire destroyed 280,000 houses and burned for approximately forty-nine hours. During the reconstruction of the city, ...

that began on 24 July 1660 and, lasting for slightly more than two days (circa 49 hours, according to the chronicles of Abdi Pasha), destroyed many neighbourhoods in the city.Istanbul Fire Brigade: A chronological list of major fires in the history of Istanbul
/ref>Walkingistanbul.com: Fountain of Sultana Turhan Hatice
/ref> A major rebuilding and redevelopment effort started in the city following the fire, which included the resumption of the New Mosque's construction works in 1660 (halted between 1603 and 1660, the construction of the mosque was ultimately completed between 1660 and 1665) and the beginning of the Spice Bazaar's construction in the same year (all buildings in the New Mosque

, including the Spice Bazaar, were commissioned by Sultana Turhan Hatice, the Valide Sultan (Queen Mother) of Sultan

Mehmed IV Mehmed IV ( ota, محمد رابع, Meḥmed-i rābi; tr, IV. Mehmed; 2 January 1642 – 6 January 1693) also known as Mehmed the Hunter ( tr, Avcı Mehmed) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1648 to 1687. He came to the throne at the a ...

Egyptian Bazaar today

Spice Bazaar has a total of 85 shops selling spices, Turkish delight and other sweets, jewellery, souvenirs, and dried fruits and nuts.

Gallery

File:Istanbul Misir carsisi.JPG, Spice Bazaar building File:20131204_Istanbul_237.jpg, Products of the Spice Bazaar File:Basar_especies.JPG, Products of the Spice Bazaar File:Dried_chillies_in_Spice_Bazaar_Istanbul.jpg, Dried chillies in the spice bazaar File:Dried_vegetables_on_Spice_bazaar_in_Istanbul_03.jpg, Dried vegetables on Spice bazaar File:DSC04670_Istanbul_-_Bazar_egiziano_-_Spezie_-_Foto_G._Dall'Orto_30-5-2006.jpg, The colourful Spice bazaar on Spice bazaar File:20180114_SpiceBazaar_7435_(39434747884).jpg, Main street of the bazaar File:Kruiden in Egyptische bazaar Eminönü Istanbul.JPG, Spices on sale File:Istanbul spice bazaar 02.jpg, Dried fruits in the Spice Bazaar File:Spice Market in Istanbul.JPG, Inside the Bazaar File:Istanbul_Basar_Yeni_Camii_Nov_2018_h.jpg, Inside the Bazaar

References

Sources

External links

Egyptian Bazaar Photos with information

Buying Spices in Istanbul's Egyptian Bazaar - illustrated article in English
* Points From Turkey, Istanbul

Bazaars in Turkey Buildings and structures completed in 1660 Ottoman architecture in Istanbul Fatih Golden Horn

Spice Bazaar The Spice Bazaar ( tr, Mısır Çarşısı, meaning "Egyptian Bazaar") in Istanbul, Turkey is one of the largest bazaars in the city. Located in the Eminönü quarter of the Fatih district, it is the most famous covered shopping complex after th ...