Abstract:

Bedestens were marketplaces for the trade of precious metals, gems, weapons, ornamental harnesses, and fabrics. Buildings like the covered market and the arasta are generally confused with the bedesten. However, bedestens, which distinguish themselves from inns, bazaars, and arastas because they resemble castles, are distinctive in that they are in the middle of cities. Şanlıurfa Bedesteni takes place in Şanlıurfa province, Eyyübiye district, Pınarbaşı district, in the historical inns-markets region. The building’s boundaries are Gümrük Han to the north, Koltukçu Market to the south, Hanönü Bazaar to the east, and Sipahi Market to the west. As estimated that it was built by the Governor of Urfa, Behram Pasha, in 1566, during the reign of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. The word “Kazazlık” which refers to the hand-crafting of silk, has lost its significance. Therefore, the bedesten where silk products made and sold has changed into a store where local clothes are sold. The Rızvan Ahmet Pasha Waqf continues to rent out spaces in the Şanlurfa Bedesteni, where users continue to operate stores where they sell goods as local clothes. This study explains the architectural and structural features of Şanlıurfa Bedesten (Kazaz Pazarı) and the place of the building in the bedesten typology.

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