The Restoration of the Grand Bazaar Has Reached the Final Stage

The restoration work on the Grand Bazaar, the largest and oldest covered bazaar in the world, has reached its final stage. The restoration works on the main walls, floor coverings, store facade design and hand-drawn works of Grand Bazaar, which is carried out by the Governorate of Istanbul, Fatih Municipality and the Grand Bazaar Administration; are in full swing.

The historical Grand Bazaar, with a total area of 40,000 square meters; 3,125 stores, 97 different goods, 25,000 employees, 300,000-500,000 visitors a day in normal times, 64 streets, 5 mosques, 2 covered bazaars, 7 fountains and 22 gates, is the biggest indoor shopping mall in the world. The largest restoration work to date is coming to an end at the historical Grand Bazaar, which is one of the symbolic structures of Turkey and the world and can be considered as the center of trade in Istanbul for nearly 600 years. Okan Erhan Oflaz, Advisor to the Mayor of Fatih Municipality, who is in charge of the restoration, spoke about the work done by the Governorate of Istanbul, Fatih Municipality and the Grand Bazaar Administration.

REINFORCEMENT MEASURES​ AGAINST EARTHQUAKE

О. Erhan Oflaz stated that the structure was damaged because the Grand Bazaar had been exposed to numerous earthquakes and fires throughout its history; "Due to subsidence and earthquakes that occurred in the building over time, structural cracks occurred in the enclosure walls, dome, vaults and arches that form the building. In areas where structural cracks were present, the plaster was first scraped to get to the root of the problem. Then, various reinforcement techniques such as pressure fabrication, cross-linking, carbon mesh reinforcement and stainless-steel elements were applied to solve the problem. In addition, tensioning elements that had lost cross-section and collapsed over time were updated, while maintaining their originality. Mini-piles were driven into the ground, without disturbing the originality of the structure, on the capital walls and column bases where ground settlement was observed. This prevented settlement in the floor of the building and strengthened the load-bearing elements of the building. Thanks to all these practices, our bazaar has been strengthened and measures have been taken against the risk of earthquakes" he said.

HAND-DRAWN APPLICATIONS

"When historical photographs taken in the bazaar in the late 1800s were studied in detail, we found that there were differences between the original decorations and the hand-drawn decorations available today in terms of on-site application design and pattern shape. In our pattern analysis studies, archival visual data was revised to fit a later period example with patterns, periods, and styles. We began our hand-drawn applications by first designing a collection of documents, analyzing hand-drawn embellishments, and color analysis studies. In the next phase, we begin our implementation studies in light of the analysis results and quickly continue."

FLOOR MAKING AND TRAVERTINE FLOORING WORKS

О. Erhan Oflaz pointed out that the restoration work on the Great Bazaar, which is both a monument and a cultural heritage site, was carried out in the evenings and on weekends when the bazaar is closed so as not to affect the trade, and that the travertine floors and floors were treated with the utmost precision. Stating that the materials used were chosen in accordance with the period to preserve the historic structure of the Grand Bazaar and show its integrity, Oflaz said: "Several samples of travertine flooring were taken from different quarries, each of which was selected by our Scientific Committee, composed of experts in their fields and approved by the Monuments Board. These specimens were subjected to various tests, such as compressive strength and abrasion resistance. As a result of these tests, travertine from a quarry in the Mut district of Mersin was chosen as the floor covering and gave the results, about 1.5 times better than the others. The travertine stone floors in our bazaar are in full swing."

ELECTRICAL INFRASTRUCTURE HAD BEEN UPGRADED WITH A BUSBAR SYSTEM

Erhan Oflaz pointed out that the Grand Bazaar was in a big mess because many of the old power lines and weak current were made randomly and irregularly; "This situation was an invitation to possible fires. In addition, the Internet infrastructure at the bazaar, which is the heart of commerce, had to be upgraded. For this reason, the power infrastructure upgrade was achieved through the use of an advanced busbar system and smart meter systems to meet the market's growing energy needs. The busbar system creates an ugly tangle of cables in the market and, more importantly, the lack of a moving cable system eliminates possibilities such as malfunctions and accidents. This fire-resistant system will make the market safer."

THE LIGHTING IS DONE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN GRAND BAZAAR HISTORY

In addition to this, O. Erhan Oflaz said that the production of street lighting required for the Grand Bazaar has also been decided, stated that since there was no street lighting in the history of the Grand Bazaar, the lighting work was carried out for the first time because of the need. Stating that the applications were implemented under the supervision of the Scientific Committee, Oflaz said that square lighting designs were prepared to take into account the anthology of different building lighting and that the work was completed for the streets within a framework that would meet the needs of the bazaar. O. Erhan Oflaz said that all work and procedures related to the restoration of the Grand Bazaar are expected to be completed next March.

Scientific Advisory Board of the Grand Bazaar

Prof. Dr. Sait Basaran (Archaeologist)

Master Arch. Ihsan Sarı (Architect)

Assoc. Dr. Ahmet Vefa Çobanoglu (Art Historian)

Assoc. Dr. Mehmet Selim Ökten (Civil Engineer)

Master Arch. Ibrahim Hakki Yigit (Architect)

Master Arch. Dr. E. Selcen Cesur (Architect)

Instructor Hayri Fehmi Yilmaz (Art Historian)