The Ottoman Bazaar Through the Eyes of Western Travelers and Poets of the Classical Period

Abstract

Public spheres, which play a significant role in the formation of urban culture and daily life, are places where people from all walks of life come together and socialize. Among these public spheres, bazaars stand out as vibrant centers of social integration and commerce – long regarded as a backbone of the Ottoman Empire. These bazaars represent a space where nearly every aspect of urban culture and Ottoman social life intersect. Not only did they serve the needs and expectations of society, but they also posed as venues for discussions of various public matters, from trade to politics. Due to the Ottoman Empire’s strategic position on rich and dynamic trade routes, bazaars became vital hubs for the empire’s production and consumption activities. Dominated by a wide array of tradesmen, artisans, and merchants, these bazaars represented a complex yet cohesive system. This study explores the Ottoman bazaar as a space of encounter and social integration - accessible to all segments of society- through the accounts of Western travelers and classical period Ottoman poets, whose witness offer key insights into Ottoman social life. The records of travelers and poets regarding the Bedesten and Grand Bazaar in İstanbul, the capital of the empire, are analyzed under themes such as the physical structure of the bazaar, the bustle of the bazaar, the tradespeople in the bazaar, the goods sold there, and the maintenance of order in the bazaar. The presented data highlights the contributions of social history and literature to the evaluation of Ottoman social life and the relationship between literature and society through the parallels found in the observations of travelers and period poets regarding the bazaar.

Keywords

• urban culture
• public sphere
• ottoman bazaar
• western travelers
• ottoman poets