Type of commercial structure in Ottoman architecture
Exterior view of the Bedesten ofEdirne, Turkey, built by SultanMehmed I between 1413 and 1421 CE
Abedesten (variants:bezistan,bezisten,bedestan) is a type of covered market ormarket hall which was historically found in the cities of theOttoman Empire. It was typically the central building of the commercial district of an Ottoman town or city, where the most important and precious goods (like gold and jewellery) were kept and sold. Its function was comparable or equivalent to that of aqaysariyya in other (usuallyArabic-speaking) regions, though the architecture of the latter could be different and be similar to that of abazaar with its own streets.[1]: 59, 255
The origin of the word is fromPersian بزازستانbazzāzestān, which means 'place of drapers'.[2] The word includes Persian suffix -istan.[3] Ottomans pronounced it as Bazzistan and Bedesten.[2]
Interior of the Sandal Bedesten in theGrand Bazaar ofIstanbul; attributed to the reign of SultanMehmed II (late 15th century)
The bedesten is a type of building that developed in the earlyOttoman architecture of the 15th century.[4] Bedestens originally began as a place to house fabric andtextile sellers but eventually more precious goods were stored here. As this type of building was more secure and could be locked at night, it became the place where the most important goods (e.g. gold and jewellery) were stored, protected, regulated, and sold.[4][5] Besides the trading of jewellery and textiles,slaves were also sold in bedestens.[6]
Expert merchants in bedestans also assisted in commercial disputes, and in some cases officials were employed here to carry out similar regulatory duties.[citation needed]Waqf agreements (inalienable trusts inIslamic law) governed the function and upkeep of the bedesten and could provide salaries for these employees.[4] Tenants could even rent booths in the bedesten from these waqfs.[6] The bedesten was such an important building that during Ottoman times cities were often classified under two categories: cities with a bedesten and cities without a bedesten.[7]
The first major bedestens were constructed in the capitals of the Ottoman Empire which served as economic hubs of the empire. The bedesten ofBursa was built in the late 14th century by SultanYildirim Bayezid I during his reign between 1389 and 1402.[8][4] The bedesten ofEdirne was built by SultanMehmed I between 1413 and 1421.[4] The first Bedesten in Istanbul, variously known as the Inner Bedesten (Iç Bedesten), Old Bedesten (Eski Bedesten orBedesten-i Atik), or the Jewellers' Bedesten (Cevahir Bedesteni), was built on the orders of Sultan Mehmed II Fatih between 1456 and 1461, soon after his conquest of the city.[9][10] A second bedesten, the Sandal Bedesten, also known as the Small Bedesten (Küçük Bedesten) or New Bedesten (Bedesten-i Cedid), was built by Mehmed II about a dozen years later.[9][11] These two bedestens formed the original core of Istanbul'sGrand Bazaar, which grew around them over the following generations.[9][11] Some Ottoman bedestens, including the ones in Bursa, Edirne, and Istanbul, are still operating as commercial centers today.[4]
Bedestens normally have a rectangular floor plan, with a main chamber inside covered by domes and walled-off from the outside except for designated doorways. Their design was derived in part from the design of Ottomanmosques.[12][how?] Often there were shops on the outside perimeter, but the interior chamber was where the most important goods were stored and sold.[7]
Numerous bedestens were built during the Ottoman Empire, a number of which have survived today. Some of the most notable examples include the following:
Bedesten inNicosia,Cyprus (originally a Greek Orthodox church from the 6th and 14th centuries, architecturally different from all other Ottoman bedestens)[18]
^abcdefgÖney, Gönül; Bulut, Lale; Çakmak, Şakir; Daş, Ertan; Demir, Aydoğan; Demiralp, Yekta; Ünal, Rahmi H. (2013).Early Ottoman Art: The Legacy of the Emirates. Museum With No Frontiers.
^Sumner-Boyd, Hilary; Freely, John (2010).Strolling Through Istanbul: The Classic Guide to the City (Revised ed.). Tauris Parke Paperbacks. p. 157.
^abKreiser, Klaus: „Bedesten-Bauten im Osmanischen Reich. Ein vorläufiger Überblick auf Grund der Schriftquellen.“, in: Istanbuler Mitteilungen (Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Istanbul) 2, pp.367-400 (Tübingen 1979), reprint in Istanbul und das Osmanische Reich. Derwischwesen, Baugeschichte, Inschriftenkunde. Istanbul: Isis 1995. 286 S. (Analecta Isisiana. 14) pp.61-96.
^abTürkoğlu, İnci."Grand Bazaar".Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers. Retrieved2020-06-24.
^Norris, H. T. (1993)."Glossary".Islam in the Balkans: religion and society between Europe and the Arab world. London: Hurst. p. xiv.ISBN978-1-85065-167-3. Retrieved3 November 2011.
^Vasilis Kostovasilis."Μπεζεστένι Σερρών".Part of the article "Τα Μπεζεστένια - Οι μεγάλες σκεπαστές αγορές", Ελληνικό Πανόραμα, Issue 30 (2002), pp. 102-131. Serres Central Library. Archived fromthe original on 2011-11-21. Retrieved2011-11-05.
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