For many visitors, shopping in Istanbul is as much an attraction as the museums and monuments, and the Grand Bazaar is the ultimate destination. This vast covered market, often considered the world’s first shopping mall, occupies a whole city quarter between the Nure Osmaniye Mosque and Beyazit Mosque. Entering through one of its 11 gates, visitors find a maze of vaulted-ceiling laneways lined with shops and stalls selling every imaginable Turkish souvenir and handicraft. The various trades are mostly grouped into sections, making browsing easier.
