The Grand Bazaar is the most impor­tant shop­ping place not only in Istan­bul but also in Turkey. It con­sists of 66 streets and more than four thou­sand stores, all under one roof. Con­struc­tion of the pavil­ions began in the mid­dle of the XV cen­tu­ry. After 450 years, the mar­ket under­went exten­sive recon­struc­tion after a mas­sive earth­quake. The entrance to the Grand Bazaar is served by two dozen gates, which are the main land­marks not to get lost in this vast area. The assort­ment of goods is aston­ish­ing­ly diverse — from table­ware, fab­rics, jew­el­ry to spices, cos­met­ics, and cloth­ing.