actually, the main reason of concentrating the trade in one place was to provide the highest security against theft, fire and uprising. the goods in the bedesten were guaranteed against everything except turmoil. gates were always closed at night, and the bazaar was patrolled by guards paid by the merchants' guilds. in order to access the complex during night hours, an imperial edict was required. the only official night opening in the history of the bazaar occurred in 1867 during the feast organized for the return of sultan abdülaziz from egypt, when the sovereign crossed the illuminated market riding a horse among the rejoicing populace. despite the immense wealth present in the bazaar over the centuries—as an english traveller recorded as late as c. 1870, a tour of the inner bedesten could easily ruin a few rothschild families—theft occurred extremely rarely. the most important such incident happened in 1591, when 30,000 gold coins () were stolen in the old bedesten. the theft shocked the whole of istanbul, the bazaar remained closed for two weeks and people were tortured, until the money was found hidden under a floor matting. the culprit was a young persian musk seller. thanks to the intercession of the sultan murad iii he was executed by hanging and not by torture.