Relational space, sustainable place: The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul

Date

2023-01-01

Author

Akkar Ercan, Zübeyde Müge

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The Grand BazaarorKapalı Çarşı,located in the historic peninsula of Istanbul which is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, represents one of the unique examples of sustainable marketplaces with its 560-year-old history. The Bazaar’s site was an important commercial centre on the Silk Road since the 5thcentury. The construction of the Grand Bazaar started in 1455 CE after the Ottoman conquest of Istanbul, and was opened to the public in 1460. The market traded jewels, furs, carpets, textiles, silk, spices, armours, slaves, books and second-hand goods. As the Ottoman empire grew, the city developed and the Bazaar continuously expanded to triple its original footprint. Until the 19thcentury, it was unrivalled in Europe with an abundance, variety, and quality of goods on sale. Despite many fires, earthquakes, and crises, the Grand Bazaar sustained its importance as a destination. This chapter examines the sustainability of the Bazaar over its history from the lens of a relational approach. It shows how the Bazaar has successfully continued to be a place of movements and activities with its evolving spatial organisation, architectural and other heritage features, multiple traditions, meanings and values, practices and experiences, artisanal relations, organisational structure and network.

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https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003143208-15/https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003143208-15/relational-space-sustainable-place-müge-akkar-ercan-space-sustainable-place-müge-akkar-ercan
https://hdl.handle.net/11511/107019

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Department of City and Regional Planning, Book / Book chapter