Besistan
As bedesten ( Bulgarian Безистен / Besisten ; Turkish bedesten also Bezistan ) is an oriental market hall called oriental or a department store.
Its distribution in today's south-east Europe is associated with the expansion of the Ottoman Empire . Even today, the name Besistan is used as a synonym for small department stores in some Southeastern European countries.
The Besistane were covered, closed at night and in many places multi-storey markets, similar to the Arab souq . There the merchants had their shops and could display their goods for sale. The shops were mostly supplemented by small craft businesses. In Besistan each group of craftsmen had an assigned place where only they could sell goods. However, it also happened that a craft operated its own Besistan, as in the case of the Brusa Bezistan in Sarajevo , where only textiles were traded.
One of the first Besistane in the Ottoman Empire was built in 1461 under the reign of Mehmed II in Constantinople . Mainly rifles, knives and other weapons were sold in it. Another Besistan was later built in the Ottoman capital, in which mainly luxury goods were to be found, including fur, vests, wallpaper, precious stones, porcelain and goldsmiths. In this second Besistan the French, English and Dutch merchants also had their stalls.
The Besistane of Bitola , Shumen and Jambol (see photo above right) are known from the 15th century . Other besistans are in Sarajevo, Edirne , Burgas , Belgrade and Skopje .
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- Kreiser, Klaus: Bedesten buildings in the Ottoman Empire. A preliminary overview based on the written sources . In: Istanbuler Mitteilungen (German Archaeological Institute, Istanbul Department) . No. 29 , 1979, pp. 367-400 .
- Johann Georg Krünitz : Besistan . In: Economic Encyclopedia . ( Oeconomische Encyclopädie online [accessed May 22, 2014]).