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The bazaars are my favorite thing about the historic city center of Bursa, Turkey. This network of vibrant open-air and covered bazaars along with historic caravanserais are the heartbeat of the city. The bazaars are included in the UNESCO World Heritage listing for Bursa.
Introduction to the Bazaars of Bursa
The bazaars of Bursa have been active since the 14th century. Rather than just one huge bazaar, the area is a collection of several different smaller bazaars. They all have different names related to the trades that were practiced in them, although most have lost their original functions. Mixed in with all the action are a handful of small mosques, hamams, and other historic buildings.
From east to west, the main artery through the bazaars of Bursa begins as the Salt Bazaar, then continues as the Long Bazaar and Covered Bazaar. The final stretch is through the Coppersmiths’ Covered Bazaar.
The bazaars are also connected to several historic Ottoman caravanserais. Each caravanserai, or han, is a two-story rectangular building with an open courtyard. Most were built in the 15th century for the silk trade, and just about each one is full of shops selling all kinds of goods. They usually have at least one café or restaurant in the courtyard, making some caravanserais a great place to sit and enjoy the atmosphere.
For this post, I’ll work my way from east to west, covering the street bazaars and caravanserais connected to them.
Salt Bazaar
I’ll start with the Salt Bazaar (Tuz Pazarı), which runs for about 300 meters between İnönü and Çömlekçiler Avenues. It contains mostly clothing, shoe stores, and housewares.
Tuz Han
Tuz Han (Salt Han), which is located along the Salt Bazaar, is the first caravanserai you’ll come to. It was built between 1454 and 1455 by Umur Bey and is one of the smallest caravanserais in Bursa. There are 17 rooms on the ground level and 18 rooms upstairs. Tuz Han was restored in 2007.
Food Market
If you’re looking for a colorful food market, take a detour at the end of the Salt Bazaar and head down Çömlekçiler Avenue. You’ll find all kinds of Turkish specialties along with fruits, vegetables, nuts, honeycomb, fish, cheese, and more. Wander down the side streets to discover more. Personally, I enjoy exploring this section of the bazaars more at night than during the day.
Long Bazaar
Back to the main street, the next section is the Long Bazaar (Uzun Çarşı). It’s more of the same kinds of stores you’ll see on the first stretch of the road, but you’ll start to encounter some jewelry stores. It runs for about 150 meters.
Fidan Han
Halfway down the Long Bazaar you can access Fidan Han (Sapling Han). It was built around 1470 by Mahmud Pasha Angelović (1420-1474), who served twice as Grand Vizier under Mehmed the Conqueror. Income from Fidan Han was dedicated to the charitable foundation of the Mahmud Pasha Mosque, which is in the Mahmutpaşa neighborhood of Istanbul.
Originally known as Mahmud Pasha Han, it’s one of the largest caravanserais in Bursa. There are 48 shops on the ground floor and 50 on the upper floor. The structure has a large courtyard with a fountain and a raised mosque in the center. A smaller courtyard to the east that once held stables, but it hasn’t survived.
Fidan Han is named for the saplings that were once sold there. It was also known as Saman Pazarı Han (Straw Market) because it was built atop a former straw market. In the 1650s, the caravanserai was full of weavers.
Fidan Han has one of the best atmospheres in the bazaar area. The courtyard is filled with outdoor cafés serving Turkish specialties.
Koza Han
Across the street is Koza Han (Cocoon Han), which was built between 1489 and 1491. It was commissioned by Sultan Bayezid II and the architect was Abdül ula bin Pulad Şah. Koza Han provided income for the Bayezid II Mosque complex in Istanbul.
Like Fidan Han, Koza Han is one of the largest caravanserais in Bursa. The main entrance to the ground level is through a monumental portal along Long Bazaar while another entrance to the upper level is on Gazi Orhan Park.
There are 50 rooms on the ground floor and 52 on the upper floor. They surround a large central courtyard with a fountain and small elevated mosque in the center. Stables and warehouses were situated to the east.
Koza Han was the center of the city’s silk trade, and has shops selling silk products to this day. It was also where silk cocoons themselves were sold, giving the building its name. Koza Han was such an important building, the commercial agent of the Medici family of Florence had his office there in the early 16th century.
Koza Han has one of the liveliest atmospheres in the bazaar area. The courtyard is packed with cafés, tea gardens, and restaurants, and there are usually several people shopping in the stores, especially for silk products.
Covered Bazaar
The open-air section ends where the Covered Bazaar (Kapalı Çarşı) begins. Clothing and jewelry stores dominate the 150 meter stretch of the bazaar.
Old Mirrored Bazaar
Immediately after crossing into the Covered Bazaar, if you turn left you can enter the Old Mirrored Bazaar (Eski Aynalı Çarşı). It was actually built as the Gazi Orhan Bey Hamam (Gazi Orhan Bey Hamamı) in the 14th century. The hamam was part of the Orhan Gazi Mosque complex.
The Gazi Orhan Bey Hamam was a double bath consisting of a men’s and women’s section. It underwent major repairs in the 15th, 16th, and 18th centuries, and was destroyed by fire in 1958. After the fire, the men’s section became a bazaar and the women’s section became a workshop and warehouse.
If you’re shopping for cultural items unique to Bursa, such as Karagöz and Hacivat shadow puppets, or other local handicrafts, you’ll find them at the Old Mirrored Bazaar.
Emir Han
Further along is Emir Han, which sits between the Grand Mosque and Covered Bazaar. It was built by Sultan Orhan as part of the Orhan Gazi Mosque complex between 1339 and 1340, and is regarded as the first Ottoman bedesten.
There were 36 rooms on the ground floor used as warehouses, and 38 rooms on the upper floor with windows and fireplaces. The rooms surround a large courtyard with an octagonal pool at the center.
Emir Han was restored between 1959 and 1965 after a major fire. Today, its shops sell religious books and pilgrimage materials while cafés operate in the pleasant courtyard.
Bedesten
The Bedesten is opposite Emir Han on the north side of the Covered Bazaar. It was built between 1389 and 1402 by Sultan Bayezid I and reconstructed after an earthquake in 1855. It consists of two long halls covered by domes with a fountain in the center. Today, the Bedesten functions as the Jewelers’ Bazaar (Kuyumcular Çarşısı).
Geyve Han
Geyve Han is attached to the east side of the Bedesten. It was built in the early 15th century by Hacı İvaz Pasha (d. 1428), who gifted it to Sultan Mehmed I to provide income for the Green Mosque complex.
A 12-sided marble fountain sits at the center of the courtyard. There are 26 rooms on the ground level and 30 on the upper level. The caravanserai was originally named after Hacı İvaz Pasha and took its current name in the 17th century. Today, most of the shops sell textiles.
Extension to the Covered Bazaar
At the west end of the Covered Bazaar is an extension running along the north side of the Bedesten, if you turn right there’s another covered section of street where locals shop for clothing, textiles, luggage, and other goods. Halfway down there’s an entrance to Eski Ipek Han. The street leads to an open-air area where you can access the İvazpaşa Bazaar (İvazpaşa Çarşısı) and Pirinç Han.
Eski Ipek Han
Across the street from the east side of the Bedesten is Eski Ipek Han (Old Silk Han). It was built in the early 15th century by Sultan Mehmed I to provide income for the Green Mosque complex. The architect is believed to be Hacı İvaz Pasha.
Eski Ipek Han has 39 shops on the ground floor and 42 on the upper floor. The large central courtyard features an octagonal marble fountain.
The initial purpose of Eski Ipek Han was to provide space for silk merchants. Today, it hosts various textile shops selling clothing, drapes, and fabrics.
Pirinç Han
In an open area north of the extension to the Covered Bazaar is Pirinç Han (Rice Han). It was built by Sultan Bayezid II between 1490 and 1508 in order to provide income for the Bayezid II Mosque complex in Istanbul. The architects were Yakup Şah bin Sultan Şah and Ali bin Abdullah.
38 rooms on the ground floor and 48 on the upper floor surround the large central courtyard. Rice and other grains were sold there, and it took its current name in the 17th century. Until the late 1970s, there were cobblers, leather workers, and silk workers in the caravanserai.
Pirinç Han underwent a long restoration between 1983 and 2004. Today, there are cafés and restaurants on the lower floor and shops and offices on the upper floor.
Coppersmiths’ Covered Bazaar
Continuing west from the main road of the Covered Bazaar is the Coppersmiths’ Covered Bazaar (Bakırcılar Kapalı Çarşısı). It consists of the main street running through it along with some attractive covered side streets. Most of the stores are geared towards locals shopping for clothing.
Towel Makers’ Bazaar
The area south of the Coppersmiths’ Bazaar is the Towel Makers’ Bazaar (Havlucular Çarşısı). In this bazaar you can actually find towels and items used in hamams. There are also lots of stores selling children’s clothing and accessories.
Balibey Han
Last but not least, Balibey Han sits across the street to the west of the bazaars. It was built in the late 15th century and has 64 rooms. It was the first three-story caravanserai in the Ottoman Empire but has lost its original appearance. The building was restored from 2006 to 2008 and has hosted a handicraft bazaar and restaurants since then.
