Grand Bazaar GRAND BAZAAR was meant to be a market with roofs. It originated in a small stone trading area surrounded by balustrades during the period of the conqueror Mohammed. Later, more and more businessmen asked to join and built roofs and corridors for their own shops, so that no matter what the weather was like, people could trade comfortably and fearlessly in this roofed shop. For centuries it has been the city centre of Istanbul and the largest market in the region. Covered by a typical Turkish vault, the bazaar spans seven or eight blocks vertically and horizontally. There are more than 4,000 shops, several kilometers of access, mosques, banks, police stations, restaurants and so on. It's like a huge maze of bazaars.