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The Grand Covered Bazaar is one of the first things travelers think of when you mention Istanbul, Turkey. In
1993 while on a tour of the western half of Turkey, we found a toy stuffed camel for our grandson, great
jewelry, and a chess set in the Grand Bazaar. Nancye says it is a great place to SHOP!
The Bazaar was established on its present site, covering the same area, by Sultan Mehmet II, a few years after
the conquest of 1453. It has been destroyed by fire several times and rebuilt. According to an 1880 survey,
the Bazaar contained at that time 4399 shops, 2195 ateliers, 497 stalls, 12 store houses, 18 fountains, 12
mescits (small mosques), a larger mosque, a primary school, and a turbe. The numbers would be
approximately the same today
In the picture below, we are standing on the European side of the Bosphorus Strait, near the Black Sea. The
Bosphorus has a strong current, carrying water from the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara. These waters then
empty through the Dardanelles Strait into the Mediterranean Sea. Throughout history, this has been an
important waterway for international shipping. Our tour group cruised up the Bosphorus to a small fishing
village, where we bought a loaf of Turkish bread still hot from the oven and Nancye found her first Seven Up in
a vending machine.
1993 while on a tour of the western half of Turkey, we found a toy stuffed camel for our grandson, great
jewelry, and a chess set in the Grand Bazaar. Nancye says it is a great place to SHOP!
The Bazaar was established on its present site, covering the same area, by Sultan Mehmet II, a few years after
the conquest of 1453. It has been destroyed by fire several times and rebuilt. According to an 1880 survey,
the Bazaar contained at that time 4399 shops, 2195 ateliers, 497 stalls, 12 store houses, 18 fountains, 12
mescits (small mosques), a larger mosque, a primary school, and a turbe. The numbers would be
approximately the same today
In the picture below, we are standing on the European side of the Bosphorus Strait, near the Black Sea. The
Bosphorus has a strong current, carrying water from the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara. These waters then
empty through the Dardanelles Strait into the Mediterranean Sea. Throughout history, this has been an
important waterway for international shipping. Our tour group cruised up the Bosphorus to a small fishing
village, where we bought a loaf of Turkish bread still hot from the oven and Nancye found her first Seven Up in
a vending machine.
| Grand covered bazaar in Istanbul - 1993 |
| Danny Ricketts 1962 Old Ruins in Istanbul |
In 1962 while in Turkey with the U. S. Air Force, I was fascinated by the remnants of the Roman buildings in
the oldest section of Istanbul.
The famous tear drop marble column shown at left was near the area of the Church of the Holy Apostles,
where Constantine was buried in 337 A.D. The writer Eusebius described the Church of the Holy Apostles
as "a tall building with porticoes along the four sides and walls . . . with marble up to the golden roof."
Constantine built the church in the shape of a large cross. Inside he prepared twelve empty caskets to
receive the relics of the twelve apostles.
Before the church was completed, Constantine died and was temporarily buried in the Church of Saint
Acacius in Constantinople (Istanbul).
Constantius, his son and the new emperor, moved his father's remains to the Church of the Holy Apostles
when it was completed about 357 A.D. He also brought there and buried what he believed were the relics of
Saint Andrew from Achaia and those of Saint Luke and Saint Timothy from Ephesus.
the oldest section of Istanbul.
The famous tear drop marble column shown at left was near the area of the Church of the Holy Apostles,
where Constantine was buried in 337 A.D. The writer Eusebius described the Church of the Holy Apostles
as "a tall building with porticoes along the four sides and walls . . . with marble up to the golden roof."
Constantine built the church in the shape of a large cross. Inside he prepared twelve empty caskets to
receive the relics of the twelve apostles.
Before the church was completed, Constantine died and was temporarily buried in the Church of Saint
Acacius in Constantinople (Istanbul).
Constantius, his son and the new emperor, moved his father's remains to the Church of the Holy Apostles
when it was completed about 357 A.D. He also brought there and buried what he believed were the relics of
Saint Andrew from Achaia and those of Saint Luke and Saint Timothy from Ephesus.
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