Istanbul Grand Bazaar
www.tourvideos.com This giant bazaar in the heart of the Old Town has 4000 shops under one roof and a maze of 65 alleys connecting them all into a vast and disorienting conglomeration. There is no need to offer directions for walking through the Bazaar, as it is a giant puzzle of covered lanes lined with little shops in which you can get delightfully lost. It is a small city unto itself that got started 500 years ago as a smaller market shortly after the conquest of 1453 by Sultan Mehmet II and kept expanding into the adjacent neighborhoods. More and more streets were covered with roofs to form a single massive building that reached its present size in 1701. Once you get used to the layout, you realize there is some order to the madness, with the streets forming a grid and with small plazas at main intersections. Shops of similar type tend to be clustered together inside the bazaar, so there are streets for carpets, jewelry, furniture, clothing and so on. Bargaining is mandatory here for no one expects to sell at the price first mentioned. You can even bargain in restaurants and everywhere money changes hand. However, before you get your hopes up too much, be advised it has become surprisingly upscale and glitzy, with fancy glass windows and too much gold jewelry. On the other hand, half the shops sell nothing but junk you wouldn't care about. The merchants are very friendly -- because they want your money! These salesmen are eager to catch your attention, so you will <b>...</b>
