A bazaar is a marketplace, especially the kind found in Middle Eastern and South Asian countries, where many merchants gather in one area to sell their goods. Picture a maze of narrow lanes lined with small shops and stalls, each vendor calling out to passersby, displaying colorful fabrics, gleaming copper pots, intricate jewelry, fragrant spices, fresh fruits, and countless other items. The air fills with sounds of bargaining, the smell of street food cooking, and the bustle of shoppers weaving between stalls.

Bazaars have existed for thousands of years as central places where communities gather not just to buy and sell, but to exchange news and meet friends. Some famous bazaars, like Istanbul's Grand Bazaar, contain thousands of shops under one enormous roof. Others sprawl across outdoor squares and streets.

In the United States and other Western countries, the word bazaar often describes a sale event where people gather to sell items for charity or fundraising, like a church bazaar or school bazaar. These events borrow the idea of many vendors in one place, though they're usually much smaller and quieter than traditional Middle Eastern bazaars.

Don't confuse bazaar with bizarre, which means strange or unusual, even though they sound alike.