Its narrow streets are lined with shops and stalls selling a wide variety of goods: herbs and spices, many different types of fabric, “green Diyarbakır tobacco by the kilo”, even guns. Household appliances are sometimes auctioned off here as well.

The bazaar is covered are because of the climate: during the summer, the covers allow people to stay cool in the shade, while in winter they offer a bit of warmth.

The Kapalı Çarşı is one of the busiest shopping areas in the city; it serves locals and tourists as well as people coming from the surrounding villages to buy things in the city. It remains popular in spite of the increasing number of shopping malls in the city.

The Kapalı Çarşı is the most traditional marketplace in Urfa. Merchants gather and take part in a traditional prayer for “good and fruitful gain” two days per week when they open their shops as part of a “traders’ prayer” that dates back to the culture of the Ahi guilds. Traditional artisans make goods for sale here, including shoes, saddles, and metal goods.

Among the bazaars located within the area: Kazaz (Bedesten), Sipahi Pazarı, Kınacı Pazarı, Bakırcılar Çarşısı (coppersmiths’ market), Eskici Pazarı, Kuyumcular Çarşısı (jewellers’ market), Kunduracılar Pazarı (shoemakers’ market).

The coppersmiths’ bazaar is located south of the bedesten, along with the Haci Kamil Hanı, while the Sipahi Pazarı and the Hüseyniye bazaar are located further west. In the coppersmiths’ and tin-beaters’ quarter, there is “a vaulted street with shops down either side.”