Graffiti was drawn on the walls of the historical Galata Bedesten

They drew graffiti on the walls of the Galata Bedesten, which was built during the reign of Mehmet the Conqueror, one of the Ottoman sultans, to generate income for the Hagia Sophia Mosque. Galata Bedesten, which was a bazaar where fabric and valuable products were sold during the Ottoman period, is now known as a street with hardware stores. The historical building, built on an area of ​​approximately one thousand square meters, consists of 9 domes. The historical Galata Bedesten, built with masonry stone architecture, was worn out over time due to lack of maintenance. Graffiti was drawn on the walls of the covered bazaar.

'OVER TIME IT TURNED INTO A BEDESTAN FROM A BEZZISTAN'

Providing information about the history of the building, Archaeologist Ömer Faruk Yavaşçay said, "I would like to start with the word bedesten. It is a combination of the words 'Bezz' and 'istan'. Bezz was the name given to fabric in time, and istan meant place. With the combination of these two, bedesten was formed, that is, 'Bezzistan'. But over time, it turned into bedesten, and the name was derived. The building is located in the Thursday Market area, and has an area of 9 domes. It covers an average of one thousand square meters." "It consists of knitted and stacked stones. It was built during the reign of Mehmet the Conqueror, to bring income to the Hagia Sophia Mosque. The largest of these was the Grand Bazaar. It is also called the Galata Bedesten in Beyoğlu. Today it is called Fatih Bazaar."

'THERE ARE HARDWARD STORES'

Stating that the historical monument has been worn out over time, Yavaşçay said, "Unfortunately, this historical building is losing its originality and value over the years. Because it was a place where fabrics and valuable products were sold in the past, now it is a place where hardware stores are located. Unfortunately, this is not a pleasant sight. There are already writings written on the entrance of the building and there is visual pollution inside. The plaster has fallen off, some of the structures look very bad, there are peelings on the stones. This place needs a restoration as soon as possible."

'IT SHOULD BE A MUSEUM OR EXHIBITION AREA'

Referring to the importance of the building for tourism, Yavaşçay said, "Apart from that, this building should be used for a different purpose; because this is the center of tourism and it is not nice for this building to look like this in the center of tourism. There are many examples in Europe. It can either be turned into an exhibition area, a museum or a place where fabrics are sold in accordance with its former purpose." he said.