Spice Bazaar welcomes 60,000 visitors daily
Istanbul’s historic Spice Bazaar continues to serve as a vital economic and cultural hub nearly 400 years after its establishment in the Ottoman era, attracting an average of 50,000-60,000 visitors daily as a marketplace catering equally to global and domestic tourists.
Fehmi Yılmaz, history professor at Marmara University, said that the structure, also called “Egyptian Bazaar,” earned its name because goods and spices from the Asia-Pacific were transported to Istanbul via Egypt.
Yılmaz stated that the bazaar operated as a key distribution center where arriving spice shipments were allocated evenly among merchants before being shipped across Anatolia in West Asia and Rumelia in Eastern Europe.
“Statistics show that an average of 40,000 people visit the bazaar per day, translating to around 1 million to 1.5 million visitors per month,” he said. “This place is not just a building made of bricks and stones but an important center showcasing our history and culture and carrying them beyond Istanbul’s borders.”
