Social history of the Grand Bazaar
Until the restoration following the earthquake of 1894, the Grand Bazaar had no shops as found in the western world: Along both sides of the roads merchants sat on wooden divans in front of their shelves. Each of them occupied a space 6 to 8 feet in width, and 3 to 4 feet in depth. This was named in Turkish a dolap, meaning "stall". The most precious merchandise was not on display, but kept in cabinets. Only clothes were hung in long rows, with a picturesque effect. A prospective client could sit in front of the dealer, talk with him and drink a tea or a Turkish coffee, in a relaxed way. At the end of the day, each stall was closed with drapes. Another peculiarity was the complete lack of advertising. Moreover, as everywhere in the East, traders of the same type of goods were forcibly concentrated along one road, which got its name from their profession. The Inner Bedesten hosted the most precious wares: jewelers, armorers, crystal dealers had their shops there.
The Sandal Bedesten was mainly the center of the silk trade, but other goods were on sale there. The most picturesque parts of the market were, apart from the two Bedestens, the shoe market (Turkish: Pabuççular Pazarı), where thousands of shoes of different colors, (Ottoman sumptuary laws prescribed yellow shoes for Muslims, blue for Greek Orthodox, black for Jews and red for Armenians) were on display on high shelves.. Spices (later concentrated in the Egyptian Bazaar), stood near the jewelers; the armor and weapon market, the old book market; and the flea market..
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