Bazaar of Athens - Illustration from Views of Greece by Edward Dodwell

Bazaar of Athens is an illustration from the collection Views in Greece from Drawings published by Edward Dodwell in 1821.

The Athens Bazaar is a vibrant and colorful place, where stalls overflow with local produce, exotic spices, and traditional crafts. The bustling aisles echo with the voices of merchants and shoppers, creating a symphony of sounds and colors that captivate the senses.

The literal transcription of the notice accompanying this plate is reproduced below:

The animated scene presented in this view is the market held every week in the bazaar, or market-place of Athens, thus becoming the meeting place not only of the inhabitants of the city, but also of all the peasants from the neighboring villages. Greeks, Turks, and Albanians are seen mingled together; and if the variety of their costumes delights the eye of the spectator, the contrast of their manners and customs, which nothing has yet been able to bring together, provides the philosopher with ample material for meditation.

The figures seen in the foreground are portraits. The black one on the right is a freed slave, dressed in velvet laced and embroidered in gold, a luxury to which they attach great importance. The next figure is that of the master of the neighboring coffee shop, bringing coffee to the Disdar, or governor of the citadel, who is seen sitting on the steps, dressed in scarlet, with a Turkish Aga on his right. The Greek on the carpet is the Vaivode, or governor of the island of Salamis, son of the former British agent, Spiridion Logotheti. The person approaching him is a Greek Baratario, who takes this name from his turban, the distinguishing mark of the agent of a foreign nation. Greek doctors also wear it. The three women seen in the distance with long white dresses and black veils are Turkish women. All the other women seen here and there in this drawing are Christian Albanians. The Turk, dressed in green, the sacred color, is a pilgrim who has made the journey to Mecca.

In the distance, the north side of the Acropolis can be seen, and within its walls, to the left of the nearest minaret, the remains of the Erechtheum and the Parthenon can be seen. To the right of this same minaret, Pan's Cave can be seen, with the tall Venetian tower rising above it, near the Propylaea.