Istanbul's Grand Bazaar Enters a Process of Consolidation

Istanbul's Grand Bazaar, one of the most visited tourist attractions in the world will enter into a long process of consolidation

The 500 year old complex must be strengthened urgently or risk the collapse. The process will take about ten years and will cost around 30 million dollars. The costs will be borne mostly by the mayor of Istanbul and partly by the 3000 tenants who have booths in the bazaar.

Strengthening the Grand Bazaar is absolutely necessary. The complex is located on a hill whose land is becoming increasingly unstable due to water infiltration. The idea of consolidation was not without controversy, traditionalists fearing that the historic atmosphere of the market will be lost. However, action must be taken. The Grand Bazaar is built on a hill whose land is waterlogged said the engineer in charge of the consolidation project, adding that the soil can not support the building, which starts lapsing to the Golden Horn.

To solve this problem, engineers will build tunnels under the alleys made of concrete to allow water circulation. These galleries will strengthen and stabilize the building columns building declared the engineers.

The Grand Bazaar construction began in 1455, two years after the conquest of Constantinople by Muslims. Extending over decades until it came to count 4,500 stores; the Grand Bazaar was the commercial heart of the Ottoman Empire. Declined after the proclamation of the republic, the bazaar has been reborn thanks to mass tourism. Today, it is one of the most popular tourist objects in the world annually attracts millions of visitors.