The reconstruction of the roof of the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul has been completed

Istanbul - After two years, the renovation of the roofs of the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul has been completed. This was reported by the ANSA agency, citing the chairman of the foundation that manages the most visited covered market in the world. According to the foundation, the condition of the roof deteriorated during the filming of the opening scene of the 2012 film Skyfall, in which James Bond wildly chases Her Majesty's enemy on a motorcycle across the roofs.

The reconstruction cost 30 million Turkish lira (114 million crowns) and the foundation undertook it to prevent the collapse of part of the roof and further damage to the structure after a long period during which the complex had been neglected. Forty thousand square meters of roof were teeming with satellite dishes, air conditioning units, and water tanks that shop owners had placed without permission. There was also a risk that the building would be damaged by water leakage.

The Grand Bazaar was the center of trade during the Ottoman Empire, which controlled a large part of the Middle East and North Africa for six centuries before collapsing after World War I.

The construction of one of the largest and oldest marketplaces in the world began in 1455, two years after the Turks captured Constantinople, during the reign of Sultan Mehmed II, known as the Conqueror.

The covered labyrinth of sixty lanes is visited by around 300,000 people daily. It is located on the historic peninsula of the Turkish metropolis, where the Blue Mosque and the former Hagia Sophia are also situated. It contains nearly 3,000 shops employing over 30,000 people.