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Istanbul owes its historic importance & its amazing cultural & architectural heritage to its perfect strategic location, straddling the Bosphorus straits which separate Europe & Asia Minor. Istanbul has a foot in each, celebrating the best of both heritages. As Byzantium, Constantinople & finally, Istanbul, it has been the capital of three Empires, each leaving their mark in the form of stunning palaces, castles, mosques, churches & monuments. The legacy of its chequered past can be seen on every turn of the modern city. Istanbul is a city of contrasts, bustling with the cacophony of 21st century life, & is yet achingly beautiful. Through most of its 2,500 year-long history, the city has been a cultural melting pot... |
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Think of shopping in Istanbul & it is probably the Grand Bazaar that first springs to mind. The Grand Bazaar first saw its beginnings as 2 wooden bedestans, or warehouses with individual cells for stalls, named the Cevahir Bedesten & Sandal Bedestan, erected during Mehmet the Conqueror's reign towards the end of the 15th century. The chance of being destroyed by fire necessitated that they be rebuilt in stone & they have since been absorbed into the core of the Bazaar today. Originally its profits were to go to compensate the ongoing expenses of the Aya Sophia. It invariably grew & expanded, as did its trade, incorporating more & more shops into its environs. Today it covers an entire area of 30 hectares & has almost 4400 shops, 40 hans (a type of night stop-over where dealers could unload their wares) & encompasses over 60 streets. Its nucleus consists of 3 parallel streets between Nurosmaniye & Beyazit, the first comprising mostly of jewelry outlets, the second of carpets & the third of textiles. In the days gone by, each class of wares operated under a traditional guild system whereby one stall having reached a particular target sale that day would then direct further customers to other stalls in that guild. In this way they supported each others trade & formed a closely knit family. However this tradition no longer continues today. Shopping centers have become a part of daily life in Istanbul & there are now several in different parts of the city. They fit in well with the rapid pace of life today, saving precious time by offering a wider diversity under a single roof. Istanbul is no stranger to the shopping center, with its traditional covered bazaars like the Kapalicarsi, (the famous Grand Bazaar), the Egyptian Bazaar & shopping streets like Mahmutpasa. But in past times shopping expeditions to these centers were different in concept. In the days leading up to important events like religious holidays, weddings or engagements, it was customary for the whole family to go together to buy new clothes, shoes, handkerchiefs & household linen & other domestic articles for the trousseaus of girls about to be married. On such special occasions shopping had a ceremonial character. Modern shopping centers, on the other hand, are not only places to shop but also to pass the time & in various leisure pursuits & forms of entertainment. While these modern malls cannot be said to harmonize with the cultural texture of the city in architectural terms, they make full use of the latest technology & offer facilities completely unrelated to shopping. For example, Forum Istanbul has Europe's biggest aquarium 'Turkuazoo' established on an area of 8.000 m2, in the centre of Galleria there is an ice skating ring, while Carousel has a huge merry go round, Astoria has indoor swimming pools. Galleria was Istanbul’s & indeed Turkey’s first modern shopping mall. Situated in the western suburb of Atakoy, it was opened by then prime minister Turgut Ozal in 1988 & espoused as a symbol of modern life. For several years Galleria was without competitors, but it had blazed a trail down which others were to follow. Akmerkez in Etiler, Carousel in Bakirkoy, & on the Asian bank of the city Capitol & Carrefour opened in rapid succession. As well as locally make goods these centres contained shops selling world famous brand names. Galleria reflected the changing face of Turkey in the late 1980s, with scores of shops selling a wide range of goods which included a high percentage of imports, cafes & restaurants which made going there a popular day out. At weekends in particular people flocked there from all over the city. With its 140 shops Galleria attracts an average weekly total of 300,000 people, while on weeks when there are public holidays or special days like Mother’s Day this number can be as high as 500,000. In 1995 Akmerkez was declared to be Europe’s Best Shopping Center by the International Council of Shopping Centers & in 1998 was selected as the World’s Best Shopping Center by the same organization & received the International Design & Development Award. Akmerkez opened in 1993 & is visited by between more than 2 million people every month. At weekends & before public holidays & new year the number of visitors soars to around 150,000 people daily. Akmerkez shopping center has 240 shops & a total floor area of 180,000 square meters on four floors. Above these rise two blocks of office premises of 14 & 17 stories respectively, & a 24 storey residential block. Visitors spend an average 3.5 hours in the center, compared to the world average of 2.5 hours. Capitol shopping center also opened in 1993, & is now visited by 12 million people a year. It has 120 shops, 8 cinemas, cafes & open & closed car parks. This is a spacious shopping center around a huge central well through which daylight pours. On special occasions the number of visitors rises to 100 000 a day, mainly from the east bank districts of the city. Carousel, which opened in 1995, pulls in approximately 50,000 people per day & 18 million people a year. Four leading banks have branches here & its attractions include discussion panels, music recitals, an art gallery where exhibitions by both amateur & professional artists are held, book signing sessions by famous authors, & special weeks featuring different countries. There is also a ticket sales service for art & cultural events all over Istanbul. One of Istanbul’s youngest shopping centers is Polcenter, which opened in Levent on 16 December 1998. It has 52 shops & covers an area of 15,000 square meters The majority of its customers are from the banks & companies which have offices in the area. Polcenter is a three storey shopping center over which are two large towers containing office premises. Forum Istanbul shopping center is one Europe’s largest shopping centres. The shopping mall employs 5,000 people & is home to some 280 national & international brands. It is expected to draw 20 million visitors annually. Built on an area of 495,000 square meters in the Bayrampasa district, Forum Istanbul comprises 175,000 square meters of leased area plus an IKEA store measuring 30,000 square meters & a Real supermarket covering about 15,500 square meters. The development also includes public spaces & parks where festivals, as well as cultural & sporting activities are organized. Brand names such as Tepe Home, Saturn, Teknosa & Bimex will cover 11,500 square meters. The stores Boyner, YKM, C&A, M&S & Zara will also be included in the shopping mall, which will have a parking lot with room for 5,500 vehicles. In addition, Forum Istanbul will be home to a giant Ferris wheel that will be as tall as the Bosphorus bridge, along with a bowling alley, restaurants, an IMAX movie theater, an ice-skating rink & playrooms for children. The biggest attraction of this giant shopping center is Turkuazoo an aquarium housing 10,000 different species & constructed on 8,000 square meters of land. Turkey’s first large aquarium, Turkuazoo will also make Forum Istanbul one of the world’s first shopping centers to include an aquarium. Visitors will be able to walk through one of the world’s longest underwater tunnels, experiencing a 270-degree view that will allow them to feel at one with the sea creatures without having to put on a wetsuit & dive in. Forum Istanbul is unique, adding a new dimension to the existing retail market in the region. The scheme offers a contemporary urban experience, interspersed with boulevards, piazzas, avenues, courtyards & monumental buildings. |
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Turkey
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Divanyolu Caddesi No:34 Sultanahmet - Istanbul /
TURKEY 34122 |
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Association of Turkish Travel Agencies TURSAB Member No: A1855 |
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