Where the Roof Ends: The Hans of the Grand Bazaar

1. 01
   History

   Start at the Bazaar’s Core

   Begin at İç Bedesten, where the Grand Bazaar first grew outward. This lockable stone core once stored the most valuable goods, and the surrounding streets were added later. Today the bazaar spans 3,600 shops, 65 streets, and 11 main gates across 110,000 square meters, with only 45,000 square meters actually covered.

   Kapalıçarşı İç Bedesten (Cevahir Bedesteni), Istanbul, Turkey
2. 02
   Exploration

   See the Sky for the First Time

   Walk into Zincirli Han and notice the moment the ceiling suddenly ends. Its courtyard is open to the sky because the han existed before the bazaar, and the bazaar wrapped around it rather than over it. Workshops still operate around the courtyard today, mostly jewelers and carpet traders.

   Zincirli Han, Grand Bazaar, Istanbul, Turkey
3. 03
   History

   Pause in the Oldest Courtyard

   Stop at Kürkçü Han, a han from the Fatih era and part of Mahmud Pasha’s foundation. It had two courtyards and around 120 rooms arranged on two levels; Evliya Çelebi described it as having '120 hearths.' Cellars sit beneath the rooms, showing how the han functioned as both lodging and storage. Today it feels compressed between later additions.

   Kürkçü Han, Grand Bazaar, Istanbul, Turkey
4. 04
   Food

   Drink Coffee Between Two Columns

   Have coffee at Ethem Tezçakar Kahveci, set precisely between two columns under a dome. The family has been in the same trade since 1875, and the current operator is the fifth generation. Here, coffee is followed by cinnamon steamed in a porcelain ewer, a custom that now survives in very few places.

   Ethem Tezçakar Kahveci, Grand Bazaar, Istanbul, Turkey
5. 05
   Local

   Finish Beneath the Roof You Cannot Climb

   End at the courtyard of Büyük Valide Han, once home to one of the city’s most shared rooftop views. After a roof collapse in 2016, access to the roof was banned and the restriction remains in place. The 17th-century han belongs to the foundation of Kösem Sultan. You can still see the courtyards and workshop levels, but not the roof itself.

   Büyük Valide Han, Çakmakçılar Yokuşu, Istanbul, Turkey

Check opening hours before you go. Hours, access conditions and weather can change.