Pazar

Pazar is a Turkish word that primarily denotes a market or bazaar. It can refer to a public outdoor market where vendors sell fresh produce, meat, textiles, and household goods, as well as to the concept of a marketplace more generally. In Turkish, pazar also serves as the name of Sunday, the traditional market day in many communities, and is capitalized when referring to the day.

The term derives from historical trade languages and is closely related to the Persian bazār and the Arabic bāzār, both meaning a commercial market. The Turkish form pazar reflects this lineage and appears in related Turkic languages and in loanwords across regions influenced by Ottoman and trade networks. Cognates such as bazaar are found in many languages, illustrating a long-standing cross-cultural exchange around commerce and public markets.

In daily life, pazar markets function as social and economic hubs. They typically feature stalls or aisles where merchants bargain over prices and customers select goods such as fruit, vegetables, meat, spices, clothing, and household items. Markets may be organized on a weekly schedule, with particular days designated as market days, and can be indoor or outdoor, seasonal or permanent.

In addition to its commercial meaning, pazar appears in place names and common expressions within Turkey and among Turkic-speaking communities. The word emphasizes the historical importance of markets in urban and rural life and remains a familiar term in modern Turkish vocabulary.