In 1928 refugees from Asia Minor bought the land at the intersection of Tositsa, Garmpola and Filippou streets and opened shops selling their merchandise through a consortium: ”the market of the poor”. The enclosed square of the area with the six arcades is its characteristic feature. The symbolism is powerful. ‘Bit’ means little, small, signifying that they sold small items in order to support their families. As time passed, in the 80s and especially in the 90s, these small shops evolved into antique stores. They started selling items from the past, mainly decorative. The antique shops of the area have continued until today and there are taverns and bars that complete today’s appealing atmosphere of the Bit Bazaar.
The Bedesten of Thessaloniki is an Ottoman monument that was built during the reign of Sultan Mehmed II (1455-1495). It is located in Thessaloniki at the junction of Venizelou and Solomou streets. The word derives from the turkish word ‘bezesten’ which means antique shop and comes from the arabic word ‘bez’ which means fabric. The design is based on the architecture of Islamic mosques. It consists of a rectangular space with an entrance in each of the four sides. The interior is divided into six quadrilateral spaces with seven double arches based on two main pillars. The building has six domes covered with lead. Before the fire of 1917 that destroyed most of the city, the Bedesten of Thessaloniki numbered 113 stores. After the fire, around the central space, more stores were added. During the 1980s and 1990s work was done to secure the foundation of the building. Today the Bedesten of Thessaloniki houses various stores.
At the intersection of Egnatia and Venizelou streets antiquities of 4th century and the early Byzantine period were discovered at a depth of about 6 meters and an area of approximately 1,600 square meters: public areas and buildings, wide streets, and among them, at a length of 77 meters, the main axis of Thessaloniki (decumanus maximus), brilliant in its original construction, paved with marble and with rectangular stone slabs. A unique monument came to light, a large residential complex in the centre of the ancient city of a great importance, integrally linked with the history, the urban organization and the social life of Thessaloniki during the passage of 16 centuries.
This was for centuries the crossroads of city life starting from the 4th century, it goes back to the 6th century AD and has continued its life over the next centuries and even today. It is really something unique, after a very good preservation that makes it look as if it never ceased to be used. The findings in the Metro station Venizelou are considered to be one of the most important pieces of evidence of Byzantine European history.
The Hamza Bey Mosque, which is located in front of Caravan Serai, in the corner of Venizelou and Egnatia streets, is widely known to the citizens of Thessaloniki as Alkazar. It was built in 1467 (the era of Sultan Murad II) and was named after the daughter of the military commander Hamza Bey, Hafsa Hatun. Its initial purpose was to be used as Metzit, i.e a small local mosque without minaret. It is speculated that a nunnery existed there, a tradition which was respected by the Ottomans after the fall of Constantinople (Istanbul), building a mosque with woman founder.
The Hamza Bey Mosque is the oldest surviving Islamic worship place built in Thessaloniki. It is now considered the largest surviving mosque situated in Greek territory and spans a total area of 1150 sq/m. It is also the only Mosque in the Balkans that has a patio, with the exception of the mosques of Edirne and Istanbul.
The building stopped being used as a mosque several years after the liberation of Thessaloniki from the Turkish occupation in 1923 and the population exchange between Turkey and Greece was completed. It was declared listed in May 1926 and in 1928 it was rented to shops and later to Alkazar cinema. Finally, in 2006, archaeologists began the monument restoration that still continues today.
Next to the guest house is the historic building of the Caravan Serai, which the area is named after. The word ‘serai’ derives from the Turkish word ‘saray’, which means a magnificent building or palace. The Caravan Serai’s area was full of inns (seragia / saragia) for travellers, and over time these evolved into organized commercial centers with shops, rooms, interior courtyards and arcades. Historically, the building of our Caravan guesthouse was a small seragio too.
After the historical destruction of the Caravan Serai building, many parts were preserved for a long time and in July 1924 the building was sold from the public sector to private individuals. This sale caused a legal controversy and as a result the refurbishment works stopped and the building restoration has remained unfinished, in one of the most central points of the city, for more than 20 years. The building was designated to become a hotel. This helped to host many families during the Civil War II from 1946 to 1949, who moved to the city from nearby villages of the region.
In the 50’s the construction continued and in 1958 the Caravan Serai was rented by the municipality of Thessaloniki in order to house the City Hall where it operated for 51 years.