Fake luxuries supplant tradition in Istanbul's Grand Bazaar

Cut-price branded perfumes and fake high-end handbags line the ornate alleys of Istanbul's Grand Bazaar, with traditional merchants saying the luxury counterfeits are stripping the marketplace of its character. Fake luxuries supplant tradition in Istanbul's Grand Bazaar Where heritage Turkish crafts once flourished under the Ottoman-era marketplace's painted ceilings, the elegant carpet store run by Hasim Gureli is now surrounded by shops selling designer dupes. Kemal made his living selling "made in Turkey" counterfeits for 15 years, before luxury fakes began taking over each of the bazaar's hallowed shop windows one by one. A spokesman for the Grand Bazaar's board of directors insisted that "the Istanbul police carry out frequent inspections" on the shops.