Master sand casters Mevlut, left, and Ahmet Yildirim make molds for pouring molten metal in their workshop in the Buyukhan artisan quarter in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Master craftsmen specializing in inlay and relief work, Nejat Kilic, right, and Halit Cakar work in their workshop in Istanbul's Eminonu commercial district, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Master polisher Yucel Gur works in his workshop in the Buyukhan artisan quarter in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
A wall clock hangs in the workshop of polishers Yucel and Murat Gur in the Buyukhan artisan quarter in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Master polisher Yucel Gur polishes a metal object in his workshop in the Buyukhan artisan quarter in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Camera repair artisan Ata Çetinkaya works in his shop in Istanbul's Sirkeci commercial district, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
A waiter carries glasses of tea through the Buyukhan artisan quarter in Istanbul's Eminonu commercial district, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Craftsmen eat lunch as cats linger nearby during a break in the Buyukhan artisan quarter in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Gold artisans play backgammon during a break in Istanbul's Eminonu commercial district, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
People crowd a street in Istanbul's Eminonu commercial district, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Master carpet restorer Ahmet Bayrakdar works in his workshop near the Sultan Ahmed Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Master inlay and relief craftsman Halit Cakar works on a metal piece in his workshop in Istanbul's Eminonu commercial district, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Master restorer and conservator Deniz Karacam works on a ceramic table clock in her workshop in the Balat neighborhood of Istanbul, Turkey, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Master polisher Aydin Karaman smokes a water pipe during a break in his workshop in the Buyukhan artisan quarter in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Bookbinder Ibrahim Yildirim repairs an old Quran in his workshop in Istanbul, Turkey, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Master inlay and relief craftsman Sahin Karaman holds one of his pieces, an ornately decorated walking stick, in his workshop in the Buyukhan artisan quarter in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Watch and clock repairer Kenan Kaya works in his workshop in Istanbul's Sirkeci commercial district, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Master polisher Bayram Yesilbas smiles as he works in his workshop in Istanbul's Eminonu commercial district, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Master polisher Bayram Yesilbas polishes a metal object in his workshop in Istanbul's Eminonu commercial district, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Master inlay and relief craftsman Nejat Kilic works in his workshop in Istanbul's Eminonu commercial district, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
A man pulls a trolley loaded with goods through Istanbul's Eminonu commercial district, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Audio By Carbonatix
8:28 AM on Wednesday, August 19
By FRANCISCO SECO
ISTANBUL (AP) — For centuries, Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar has been more than a marketplace. Behind its crowded passageways, generations of craftspeople have made, repaired and restored the objects that eventually emerge for sale.
In workshops and in narrow streets surrounding the bazaar, casters shape molten metal over fire. Engravers add detail. Polishers bring finished pieces to a shine. A single object can pass through several specialists before reaching a merchant’s counter.
Much of that work happens out of sight, in rooms crowded with tools and machinery and darkened by years of dust, smoke and heat.
The artisans' quarter is also a community. Tea circulates through its courtyards and workshops. Craftsmen stop for lunch, gather over games of backgammon or smoke a water pipe between jobs.
But that world is changing. Some production has moved away from Istanbul’s historic center to larger, more modern workshops. Technology has changed how and where goods are made. Some traditional trades struggle to attract younger people willing to spend years learning the work.
Others have adapted, sustained by repair work, tourism and continued demand for objects made or finished by hand.
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This is a documentary photo story curated by AP photo editors.
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