The bezesteni of Larissa is not exactly a fortress.
It was an Ottoman roofed market which was built at the location where the ancient and mediaval acropolis of Larissa was.

The building was used in the 19th century for military purpose and for this it has got the name “fortress of Larissa”.

The Name of the Castle

The name bezesteni comes from the arabic word bez meaning cotton cloth and bezaz meaning cloth merchant.

History

The hill where is the fortress of Larissa is in use for four millennia. The ancient acropolis was replaced by a Byzantine fortress which must have been important since Larissa was the capital of the Thema of Greece during the Byzantine period and it is known that resisted a siege by Bulgarians for 3 years in the 10th century (before capitulating in 982) while the Normans were unable to capture it a century later. So it must have been a strong citadel from which very few remains are still visible around the foot of the hill. Maybe it was destroyed during the Ottoman conquest or it was demolished to make room for the building of the market of the city.

Bezesteni was built towards the end of the 15th century. Its construction lasted 22 years, from 1484 to 1506. Despite its unusual strong construction, it was a commercial building and its initial purpose was to house the shops of textile merchants. Gradually, it became the center of the financial activity of the city.

It retained its commercial character until the end of the 18th century when, for some reason, its interior was destroyed. After that, in the 19th century it was used an arsenal and a military outpost, hence the name “fortress” (although this might be related to the ancient/medieval use of the same location).

Structure, Fortification & Buildings

Bezesteni is a large rectangular building 30✖20 meters. There was an entrance in each side. Only the south entrance is still open while the others were bricked since the 19th century.
The roof had six domes covered by lead sheets.

Today, only the four, 1.6m-thick walls are preserved. to a height around 6.5m. The roof has collapsed and the interior is destroyed.

Sources