Ali Paşa Bazaar

Overview

The Ali Paşa Bazaar, Ali Paşa Çarşısı in Turkish, is a covered market street that Mimar Sinan built in Edirne in 1569. He built it for Semiz Ali Paşa, a grand vizier of Süleyman the Magnificent. Under its long vault, shops line both sides of a single street. Later, a fire gutted it in 1992, and it reopened in 1997. Today, most people in Edirne simply call it the Kapalı Çarşı (a market street or bazaar), the covered bazaar.

Where the Ali Paşa Bazaar stands

The bazaar lies in the old commercial heart of Edirne. On our day trip, you reach it on foot after the early mosques of the sultans, the Old Mosque, Edirne and the Üç Şerefeli Mosque.

Quick facts

• Good for: a work of Sinan you can shop in, Ottoman market architecture, local life
• Best combined with: the Old Mosque, the Üç Şerefeli Mosque, the Selimiye

History of the Ali Paşa Bazaar

Sinan's market for a grand vizier

Semiz Ali Paşa served as grand vizier from 1561 to 1565. His charitable foundations stood in Babaeski, in the province of Kırklareli. So he had a market built in Edirne, and the rents from its shops paid for them. The architect was Mimar Sinan, who listed the work among his buildings as the "bazaar and caravanserai of Ali Paşa."

Counting the shops

A register of the foundations from 1568–69 counted 211 shops in the bazaar, with 25 more cells. Later, the traveler Evliya Çelebi described gates like castle gates at both ends. He also gave its length as 1,000 paces and wrote of 360 shops. However, in the 19th century the bazaar lost its wealth, and its shops passed into private hands. Came repairs in 1867–68 and a large one in 1947. After years half empty, it came back to life from the 1960s.

Fire and rebirth, 1992 to 1997

On 29 September 1992, a fire caused by an electrical fault left the bazaar in ruins. After that, repairs took five years. On 25 November 1997, the Ali Paşa Bazaar opened again.

Inside the Ali Paşa Bazaar

Stone, brick and striped arches

The bazaar is an arasta, a market laid out along one straight street. Its vaulted street runs about 300 meters (980 feet), with vaulted shops on both sides. Each shop opens onto the street through an arch. Because the arches are built of red and white stone, the long view down the street is striped. Outside, the walls are of cut stone with brick above, and six gates lead in.

The bazaar today

About 130 shops trade under the vault today. In the past, owning a shop here belonged to rich and privileged merchants who dealt in gold and silver. However, only a few of them remain today, and most shops sell a mix of other goods.

Visiting the Ali Paşa Bazaar

How to visit the Ali Paşa Bazaar

The bazaar is a public market street, so you can walk in through any of its gates with no ticket. We walk you through the Ali Paşa Bazaar on your Edirne day.

Before you go

In Edirne, look out for mis sabunu, scented soaps shaped and colored like real fruit. The craft goes back to the 1600s, and the soaps were once gifts at the Ottoman court. Since 2019, Edirne Mis Meyve Sabunu has been a registered indication of origin. On our day trip, you visit the bazaar after the Selimiye Mosque and the early mosques. Then we stop for fried liver, and in the afternoon, we cross to the Complex of Sultan Bayezid II. For the city as a whole, see our Edirne guide.

Updated: October 26, 2026.

Seeing the Ali Paşa Bazaar with Us

Would you like to walk down a street that Sinan built for shopping? Our Edirne day trip from Istanbul brings you through the Ali Paşa Bazaar between the mosques and lunch. The bazaar comes between the mosques and lunch, and your date sets the rest. For Sinan's works in Istanbul, join our Mimar Sinan tour.