That makes sense. But even if the trinkets were just a facade of culture, they were at least more unique back then. I visited the Grand Bazaar about 6 years ago

That makes sense. But even if the trinkets were just a facade of culture, they were at least more unique back then. I visited the Grand Bazaar about 6 years ago and remember seeing the exact same mass-produced products in many of the shops. Globalization & mass manufacturing made the trinkets you can find in the Bazaar a lot more homogenous :-/