Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1834-11-22
CONSTANTINOPLE.
RY N. p. WILLIS.

Bring all the shops of New York, Phadel-
phia and Boston together around the City Hall
remove their fronts pile up all their goods on
shelves facing the street, cover the whole with a
roof metamorphose your trim clerks into
bearded, turbaned, and solemn old musselmen,
smooth Jews, and calpacked and rosy Arme-
mans, and you will have something like the
grand bazaar of Constantinople You can
scarcely get an idea of ii, without having been
there II is city under cover You walk all
day and day after day, from one street to anoth-
er, winding and turning up hill and down,
and never 90 out OF doors The ROOT is as high
as those Of our three story houses, and the din
light so favorable TO shopkeepers, comes strug-
Cling down through skylights. never cleaned,
except by the rains OF heaven
StroIling through the bazaar is an endless
amusement. Ii is slow work, for the streets are
as crowded as a cburch-aisle after service; and,
pushed aside one moment by bevy OF Turkish
ladies, shutting along in their yellow slippers,
muffied TO the eyes, the next by fat slave car
rying a child, again by kerrds armed to the
teeth, and clearing the way for some coming
dignitary, YOU find your only policy is to draw
i'm your elbows and suffer the molly crowd to
shove you about at their pleasure.
Each shop in this world Of traffic may be two
yards wide The owner sits s.egged on
the broad counter below, the heighth OF d chair
from the ground, and hands you all you want
without stirring from his seat. One broad bench
or counter runs the length oil the street, and the
different shops are only divided by the slight
partition Of the shelves. The purchaser, sets
himself on the counter, to be out of the way of
the crowd, aud the Shopmdn spreads out
his goods on his knees, never condescendinS
to open his lips except TO tell you the price. III
he exclaims bono,n or ' caio,n (the only word Il
real Turk ever knows oil another language he
is stared at by his neighbors as man would IN
Broadway, who should break out with an Italian
iln af,,in i'm,
his goods, the bearded trader creeps through
the hole leading to his kennel OF dormitory in
the rear washes himself and returns to his
counter, where, spreading his sacred carpet in
the direction of Mecca, he goes though his pray
ers and prostrationS, perfectly unconscious OF
your presence, or that of the passing crowd
No vocation interleres with his religious duty
Five times a day, if he were running from the
plague, the musSleman would find time for pray
ers.
The Frank purchaser attracts great deal OF
curiosity As he points to an embroidered hand
kerchiec or rich sha wi, or pair of gold-work-
ed slippers, Turkish ladies OF the first rank,
gathering their ydsemacks securely over their
faces, stop close to his SIDE not minding if they
push him little to get nearer the desired article
Feeling not the least tmidity except for their
faces these true children of Eve examine the
goods in barter, watch the strangers counte-
nance, it he takes off his glove, pulls out his
purse, take il up and look at ii, without ever
saying by your leave Their curiosity often
extends to your dress, and they put out their
little henna-stained fingers and pass them over
the sleeve Of your coat with gurglng express
sion of admiration at its ineness, or if you have
rings or a watch-guard, they lift your hand or
null out your watch with no kind of scruple |
have met with several instances of this in the
course of my rambles. But day or two ago,
found myselfrathe more than usual subject of
curiosity. was alone in the street of embroid-
cred handkerchefs (every minute article has
its peculiar bazaar) and wishing to look atsome
of uncommon beauty, called on of the many
Jews always near stranger to turn penny by