You may only have seen the roofs of Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar from the perspective of the 2012 movie “Skyfall,” and James Bond’s high-speed motorcycle chase across it. But they are a sight to see. And they’re a wreck.
The iconic marketplace, whose original foundations were laid in 1461, has hundreds of small brick tile roofs–some of them centuries old–covering 3,600 shops. In fact, its Turkish name, Kapalicarsi, means covered market. Terrorism in Turkey and the Middle East has decimated the tourist trade that feeds the bazaar.
A roof renovation project is currently underway, estimated to cost $2.7 million. But the warren of 60 narrow streets in a labyrinth of shops make the project labor-intensive. See amazing photos of the project at https://www.dailysabah.com/istanbul/2017/03/14/roof-of-istanbuls-iconic-grand-bazaar-undergoes-renovation.
— Daily Sabah and mygrandbazaar.com
