or Bazaar, a denomination among the Turks and Persians, given to a kind of exchange, or place where stuffs and other wares are sold. The word bazar is of Arabic origin, and literally denotes sale or exchange of goods.

Some of the eastern bazars are open, like the market-places in Europe, and serve the same purposes, more particularly for the sale of the bulky and less valuable commodities. Others, again, are covered with lofty ceilings, or even domes, pierced to give light; and it is in these that the jewellers, goldsmiths, and other dealers in the richer wares, have their shops. The bazar or maidan of Ispahan is one of the finest places in Persia, and greatly surpasses all the exchanges in Europe; yet notwithstanding its magnificence, it is excelled by the bazar of Tauris, which is the largest known, having several times contained 30,000 men ranged in order of battle. At Constantinople there are the old and the new bazar, which are large square buildings, covered with domes, and sustained by arches and pilasters. The name of bazar has lately been given to various establishments, in London and other cities, where all sorts of goods and wares are exhibited for sale.