Bedesten of Thessaloniki

[1] It is located on Venizelou and Solomou streets, near the Hamza Bey Mosque and the city's old town hall.

A bedesten is a type of Ottoman old market,[2] and is derived from the Arabic word bez meaning fabric.

[3] According to some it was built by Mehmet II, between 1455 and 1459, while another theory is that it dates from the late fifteenth century or even early sixteenth instead.

[4][5] The construction style of the bedesten is representative of the Ottoman architecture of the fifteenth century, also found in similar buildings in the Balkans.

[6] In the bedestens various valuables were sold, documents and assets were kept, the quality of goods was checked, and currency rates were determined.