DW takes you on a tour of the amazing architecture and labyrinth streets of Turkey's Grand Bazaar, one of the oldest and biggest markets in the world.
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00:00The Qapala Çarşı, as it's known in Turkish, is far more than a covered market.
00:05It's a city within a city, with more than 60 lanes and some 3,600 shops run by 25,000 people.
00:15All told, 21 gates lead into the bazaar.
00:20It's a little overwhelming at times because there's just a lot of noise and people,
00:24but I think it's super cool that you can find so many different kinds of things in one place.
00:29I like the sense of the people that work here. They are very nice and friendly.
00:35It's where Europe meets Asia a bit, and you feel like a lot of, yeah, of course, Ottoman culture
00:41mixing with like the Catholic culture, and it's all good. Everyone is okay with it.
00:50Everything that might tempt a tourist can be found here, from carpets
00:55to designer brands, whether genuine or fake,
00:59to spices and souvenirs that you would never have dreamt of buying before visiting the bazaar.
01:08Well, I did buy this tote bag, so that's one purchase. I bought a Turkish towel.
01:14This is Tommy Hilfiger, and they have it in Louis Vuitton.
01:19They have Nikes. They have Christian Dior.
01:23Oh, I bought some coasters.
01:27Is this real diamond?
01:30Candle holders and some tea for my mom.
01:34Now I'm still shopping, you know?
01:37Our team, too, is ready for the shopping challenge.
01:40Who can get more for 300 Turkish lira?
01:44All will be revealed later.
01:50Every store in the bazaar has a history.
01:53Hashim Göreli has witnessed five decades at the Kapala Çarşı.
01:59My father, he started to bring me this shop when I was three years old.
02:03And now I am 55, and I grow up with the carpet.
02:08We say, grow up with the carpet dust, you know?
02:11What's the meaning of the bazaar to me, you know?
02:14My world.
02:16His carpets come from all over Turkey.
02:19Each woven and knotted pattern has its own meaning.
02:23Every region has its own color, its own design.
02:26Look, this is, you see, running water, symbolizing life.
02:30Here, you see inside, this is blue, this is red, this is eye.
02:35Eye to protection, you know, like from the bad eyes.
02:39The bazaar dates back to the 15th century,
02:42when Sultan Mehmed II founded it after the conquest of Constantinople.
02:48The market was initially built for trading textiles and jewelry.
02:55Over the centuries, it grew into a global commercial hub
02:59in what is now known as Istanbul.
03:03There are no official figures,
03:05but it's estimated that 400,000 people visit the bazaar every day.
03:10This makes the Kapala Çarşı one of Istanbul's most popular landmarks.
03:21Time for the team challenge, reporter versus cameraman.
03:24Each has three minutes to answer the question.
03:28Time for the team challenge, reporter versus cameraman.
03:31Each has 300 lira, about nine euros.
03:58So...
04:00Could I get, like, five for 300?
04:06I only have 300.
04:10That was really easy.
04:12Or maybe six?
04:16250.
04:18I only have 240.
04:22We have a deal.
04:23Thank you. We got a good deal.
04:25Most of people know that you are tourists, you know?
04:27You're asking the price, and they're telling you, like, 50, 100 more.
04:32Because they know you guys got a negotiation, because it's tradition in Turkey.
04:36Our reporter got five small bowls.
04:38Our cameraman got a bottle opener and a candle holder.
04:42I think I won.
04:46What do you think? Who haggled the best?
04:48Our tip? Don't buy right away.
04:51Compare prices first.
04:53But in the Grand Bazaar, we can't promise that you'll be able to find the store again.