Grand Bazaar prepares to reopen

The bazaar has been disinfected every Wednesday during the shutdown, while janitors have cleaned every morning.

Istanbul: An eerie silence has fallen over Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar, one of the world’s oldest, largest and most visited markets, where a raucous mixture of languages, cultures and commerce has buzzed for centuries.But there are now signs of life at the market as municipal workers roam its deserted alleys, spraying the floor, columns and walls ahead of the doors reopening on Monday for the first time The bazaar — home to almost 3,000 shops where more than 30,000 people work — was closed on March 23 as part of measures to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, which has killed over 4,300 people in Turkey.

Officials say it has been the longest closure in the bazaar’s more than 550-year-old history, except for forced shutdowns following fires and earthquakes.The market is usually visited by 150,000 people every day — and by 42 million last year — while traders shout out deals in dozens of languages to lure tourists into their stores.

Now the stores are all shuttered, except for about 20 stock exchange offices and jeweller’s shops which have remained open for economic reasons, with only special customers received by appointment.

The bazaar has been disinfected every Wednesday during the shutdown, while janitors have cleaned every morning.”God willing we will reopen our market in a healthy fashion on June 1,” said Fatih Kurtulmus, chairman of the Grand Bazaar’s board.”I have faith that our country will begin receiving tourists from mid-June by paying attention to hygiene rules,” he said inside the historic market.The bazaar will reopen under strict rules laid out by the health ministry, which include the mandatory use of face masks and a limit on the number of customers allowed inside.