Spice Bazaar


The Spice 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 the Grand Bazaar.

History

There are several documents suggesting that the name of the bazaar was first "New Bazaar". The and got its name "Egyptian Bazaar" because it was built with the revenues from the Ottoman eyalet of Egypt in 1660. The word mısır has a double meaning in Turkish: "Egypt" and "maize". This is why sometimes the name is wrongly translated as "Corn Bazaar". The bazaar was the center for spice 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 of the New Mosque. The revenues obtained from the rented shops inside the bazaar building were used for the upkeeping of the mosque.
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 that began on 24 July 1660 and, lasting for slightly more than two days, destroyed many neighbourhoods in the city. 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 and the beginning of the Spice Bazaar's construction in the same year

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.

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