The Story of a Jewelry Cluster in Istanbul Metropolitan Area: Grand Bazaar (Kapalıçarsı)

Abstract

Growing cultural-products industries are discussed as one of the main tracks of the “new economy”. Among these cultural industries jewelry tends to agglomerate in the core of metropolitan areas due to the characteristics of production organization. Grand Bazaar (Kapalıcarsı) located in the heart of the Istanbul can be defined as one of the world’s oldest and largest jewelry agglomeration for more than five centuries. The aim of this paper is to examine the trajectory of Grand Bazaar to explain the main characteristics and evaluation processes of jewelry clusters. The paper analyses the evolution of Grand Bazaar as a jewelry cluster over the four historical stages and investigates the recent production organization of the cluster. The trajectory gives clues about the future of roles and functions of this special historic cluster.   Key Words: Grand Bazaar, cultural industries, cluster, jewelry industry, traditional production.