Grand Bazaar is the oldest and largest shopping mall of the world and offering excellent shooping with 64 avenues and streets, 2 bedesten, 22 gates and about 3600 stores. It has indoor area of 45.000 meter square, and about 20.000 persons work here. Cevahir Bedesten, being one of the two covered bazaars. Bedesten forming the heart of Grand Bazaar and it is more likely to be built in Byzantine times. Bedesten called Sandal Bedesten is the second important structure of Grand Bazaar, and its construction started on 1461. It is called as Sandal Bedesten because a type of cloth woven of cotton and silk fibers, named Sandal was sold here.

Topkapi Palace was the brain of empire, and Grand Bazaar became the heart of economy. At the beginning of 19th century, when banks and bankers started to settle in Galata, the heart of economy of the empire started to beat here. Then the brain of the empire, i.e. the Palace also moved to that side and settled in Dolmabahce, Yildiz and Ciragan.

In Grand Bazaar, where the functionality of guild system was maintained until Constitutional Period, any kind of profession was taught and held operatively through master-apprentice relations. After Constitutional Period, as a result of changing conditions, the guild system was impaired and trading was according to the conditions of that time.

Bedesten and Bazaar suffered more than 20 earthquake and fire disasters during its history.

Since the avenues and streets of Grand Bazaar were where the persons doing same business gather together, they were given the names according to the branches of business, such as Kalpakcilar (Fur Cap Sellers), Kuyumcular (Jewellers), Aynacilar (Mirror Sellers), etc. Grand Bazaar was always kept alive in every era as a world of fairytale in the books of foreign itinerants and in the paintings of foreign artists.

Being the oldest bank, the greatest and the oldest shopping mall, one of the most mysterious and gorgeous places in the world, possibly the eighth wonder.

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