Shopping
Istanbul has a shopping culture that has existed for many centuries. The Turkish people love to shop in the many places that Istanbul has to offer, such as: the Grand Bazaar; Beyoglu’s main street, Istiklal Caddesi for high street fashions; in the chic boutiques of Nisantasi or in the very modern malls like Kanyon. For sure you will find something to buy around Istanbul.
Another secret for shopping when you travel is trying to get as many of the things that you want to buy as possible in one shop. The more things you buy together the better the final price you can negotiate. If you have time, especially in the bazaars, have a look around first, ask for prices and then try to get as many things as possible together in one place.
Beware of the very insistent vendors on the streets of Istanbul. If you follow them to their shops, it will be difficult to get out of them without buying something that you never planned to buy and probably don’t want. The Turk is a very good salesman, speaks different languages (at least he knows enough words to sell you something ja…ja…). For one of my trips to Istanbul I went with my American friend Liz. She went alone to visit the mosque and, on her way back, a vendor stopped her and started engaging her in conversation. She ingenuously talked with him and followed him to his shop, then she got scared when the guy became very insistent in trying to sell her something. The men in these countries badly interpret the western woman that speaks naively without second thoughts. And for this culture it is not well viewed for a woman to talk with a man that she doesn’t know.
I have always travelled alone since I was young and have never had problems. But I never talk with people in the street, especially men. Yes, I speak with people selling things in the markets. Normally I sit and talk with them when I buy something. In a lot of countries it is the only way to communicate with the local people. Generally they speak some words of English. It is the best way to get to know about their lives and their traditions, directly from them. The ladies are always very communicative, especially in countries that are not so touristy. They are always happy to tell you about their lives and are very curious about ours. If you observe around the Grand Bazaar you can see only a very few women working in the shops. It is dominated by men. Incredible, if you consider that there are around 5,000 shops. In general, Turkish women are very friendly and sweet with women of other nationalities.
Don’t be tempted like my niece to buy several famous brands of perfumes for a ridiculously small amount of money. Obviously they were fake and of poor quality. The Turks produce a lot of perfumes and put them in packaging that is identical to the real ones.
For Antiques look in the Old Bazaar (Bedesten) and in the neighbourhood of Cukur Cuma, a nice walk from Istiklal Caddesi. There are also the 200 shops on 6 floors of Horhor Bit Pazari.
Most common things to buy, to take back home for presents are:
Spices, dried fruits, Lokum (Turkish delight), different kinds of teas, especially the apple tea (red, green or yellow apple) pomegranate and other teas. I am sure that you will have tried these teas if you have been shopping, since the shop keepers always offer tea whether you buy something or not: Turkish hospitality.
Around the Bazaar you will see lots of men carrying bronze trays containing tulip shaped glasses, full of tea or coffee. This tray is very practical way to carry things around and it is a very useful and original object to have at home. It is not expensive to buy. It looks very nice as a decoration with the glasses of different colours and saucers, where they put a cube of sugar and a little spoon. If you want to have something exotic at home to impress friends and family you can have the set and serve the apple or any other tea after dinner with sweets. People love any kind of ceremony. Alternatively, you can serve mint tea, as in Morocco, in that case it would be perfect if you have a nice brass Aladdin shaped tea pot, full of fragrant leaves of mint and some honey to make it sweet.
Natural sea sponges, which I used to buy my mother-in-law, Diana, who loved to use them. There are a lot in the Turkish and Greek seas, especially around the island of Kalymnos, where you can find them in lots of different shapes and sizes, at a very good price. The natural sponge in Europe is extremely expensive. It was terrible after the explosion of Chernobyl that the sponges disappeared for some years. Now they are back again. I was there with my friend Polys in his boat, one summer, and I got to know all about the sponges on the little island of Kalymnos.
The famous Turkish rugs and carpets, of every price and of every quality. If you buy one and request that it be sent directly to your home, in order to avoid problems sign it on the back so as to be sure that you are receiving the one you had chosen and it has not been substituted for another.
Leather goods, such as beautiful handbags, jackets, coats, very well made and finished at reasonable prices. Jewellery, beautiful cashmere scarves, shawls, pashminas are of all good quality. Obviously, the price reflects the quality.
I start my day in the Grand Bazaar and descend through the Bazaar to end in the Egyptian Bazaar on the Bosphoros, from there I take a taxi to Sultanahmet.
The Grand Bazaar (opened in 1481)
The Gand Bazaar (Kapali Carsi) should be the first port of call in Istanbul for serious shoppers and also to visit the chaotic covered streets and alleys. Typical of the Turkish Culture. It has over 60 narrow streets and more than 5,000 shops, a labyrinth in which it is very easy to get lost. The Bazaar is divided by areas and merchandisers. Inside there are restaurants, cafés and mosques. On Fridays when the most important prayer of the week takes place around 12 noon, the shops in the Bazaar close. People go in the mosque or just extend a prayer mat in front of them and start praying. It is a very nice feeling when you see it.
The Grand Bazaar was constructed by Mehmet the Conqueror and for centuries it was the hub of oriental trade routes. Walk around, feel the oriental flavour in the blackened corners, the labyrinthine alleys and arched courtyards. Lose yourself (which is not difficult). You will always find your way out! Walk in all directions, you will find hidden treasures and historic merchants, whose families have been in the Grand Bazaar for centuries. Go in the workshops of traditional bronze smiths, blacksmiths, incredible jewelers, miniature painters. Their work looks like it is alive. Find antique dealers.
In the main street of the Bazaar there are a lot of shops. In general, they are the more expensive ones, especially the big jewellers that have pieces of the highest quality and materials with the highest prices.
To get to know and appreciate the Bazaar you will need at least 3 hours, plus some more time to enjoy the hospitality, a good meal, or to have a coffee and enjoy the atmosphere. If you love to shop, even 3 hours will not be enough! The Bazaar is a city in the city. If you are in Istanbul during a Wednesday and you want to feel the oriental flavour of the Bazaar, go to the Sandal Bedesteni to see the noisy and chaotic weekly carpet and rug auction.
See the fabric merchants, where you can find the finest silks and brocades to dress a sultan and his sultana. There are beautiful cushions in hundreds of colours. There are fabrics, matching with bed covers and curtains, that you can find ready-made or can be tailored in a short time to embellish your home.
There are shops that sell an enormous variety of towels and soaps made of olive oil or other things. I also buy a simple brown soap that comes from a place near Aleppo in Syria, that is very good for the skin and for the hair. They used to have it in the hotel that I go to. I always bring back many pieces, since my family and friends love to use them. Now I order them through my friend in the hotel.
In Turkey everything is related with the Hammam culture. The silk and cotton pestemals (Hammam towels) are beautiful and can change the look of your bathroom in seconds, at little expense. The ones that I like very much are the bamboo ones, which dry you very quickly. The variety is infinite and the selection is so big that you can be tempted to buy lots of them without needing any at all. This is what I always do, and as does my friend Carola, every time we go together to Istanbul. The bathrobes are fantastic, have very good prices and there is a big selection. Very nice and decorative are the wooden Hammam shoes.
The wool blankets are beautiful and soft and the cotton bed covers come in all sizes and are of very good quality. The cotton used to come from Egypt, especially the satin cotton from the Nile, the finest in the world. But during the Arab spring, they lost a lot of production and Turkey became very strong in the market for good cotton.
At the heart of the Bazaar is the Old Bazaar (Bedesten) formally it was a secure storeroom. It has a domed structure. Leading to it are dark and narrow alleys, illuminated with artificial light that has remained intact for centuries. It is full of jewellers.
The jewellery in Turkey is magnificent. The jewellery tradition comes from Ottoman times. The Sultans had incredible jewels, which you can still see and appreciate in the Topkapi Palace today. Walk around the shops of the old jewellery bazaar, an area in the Grand bazaar, where you can see a lot of jewellery shops, antique shops, where you can find special pieces to buy. Don’t forget to see the Ottoman jewellery, it has very interesting, original and beautiful pieces, at very good prices. A lot of shops around the Grand Bazaar and Arasta Bazaar sell them and the variety is infinite. I love them.
I recommend Ali Gulek, who I always go to. He has fantastic and very fine things. He has lots of creativity and his designs are infinite. He has very good prices for the quality he sells. Talk with Ali, and with a smile he will recommend what to buy. Mahmed is also in the shop, together with Ali they will try to please you, every time. They do with me. They are friends since a long time.
There are also a lot of antique shops where you can find mostly everything. If you want to eat or drink something go to the Bedesten Café and Patisserie.
Istanbul is one of the better places in the world to buy carpets, rugs or Kilims (a rug that is woven, not knotted). You can find Anatolian Kilims, fine silk Persian rugs and prayer mats. The variety is infinite. Before deciding to buy anything check different shops, ask and discuss prices, and then decide. The negotiations are part of the fun! The prices reflect rarity, age, quality of the material, the dyes they use to make the carpets, the amount of the work that it took to make a carpet and the tightness of the weave. The number of knots in a square centimetre ranges from 20 to 30 for a coarse wool carpet.
There are lots of leather shops in the Bazaar, with one area dedicated to them. Antonio in his shop, Caktus, has a very big variety of bags and leather accessories of very good quality and at reasonable prices. Ask for him. He is a very kind and nice person. For sure you will find something you like to buy.
Also visit the shop of Ibrahim Kaviyy (Beyazit Mh.Kurkculer Sk number 31, gate 2 Grand Bazaar). He has very nice bijoux, sunglasses, cashmere shawls and scarves and other nice accessories.
There are lots of shops of lamps, Arab and modern styles, lots of variety, prices and quality, use your imagination. I have been buying for years from my adorable friend Timur. Everybody knows him in the Bazaar.
You can buy a lot of Turkish style ceramic pieces: beautiful plates, bowls, cups painted in beautiful colours with beautiful designs. Very nice are the different sizes of decorated tagines. The ceramics will certainly give your table an oriental touch and flavour.
There are the famous Nargiles which you can take back home, to use. Don’t forget to buy the tobacco (apple flavour is popular) and the charcoal you need to use them. You can hold a Turkish party, preparing a traditional dish or two. Get a book of recipes, which you can find everywhere in town. Prepare the traditional meal, the tea and sweets and finish smoking the Nargile. I am sure that it is going to be a success. I had 2 very nice lamps made from 2 hand-painted Nargiles.
You can also hold a backgammon championship at the end of your dinner. It is possible to buy beautiful backgammon sets in Istanbul. They make them in lots of materials and with many techniques. One summer in my friend Maria’s house on the Island of Aegina in Greece a backgammon championship went on for a whole night around the pool area. It was a lot of fun. Husbanito participated, me not.
There are lots of shops of very fine cashmere shawls, sweaters and other precious wool things, the quality and prices of which are very good.
You can also find very good shoes from lovely and original Turkish babouches and moccasins to very trendy high-end sandals and shoes. Lots of them are copies of the famous of brands. There is also a big variety of sneakers, both real and fake of all the brands.
If you are interested in old fabrics and ethnic clothes
- Dervis (ethnic clothes and textiles)
- Muhlis Gunbatti (Central Asian and Anatolian fabrics)
Restaurants and cafés inside the Bazaar:
- Donerci Sahin Usta is an excellent Anatolian restaurant. I often go there for lunch with my friend Antonio.
- Café Ay has coffee, cakes and sandwiches (Takkeciler Sok 41-45)
- Havuzlu Lokantasi is renowned to be the best restaurant in the Grand Bazaar. They have very good shish kebab and mezze. Go early because is always very full. (Gani Celebi Sok 3, open lunch time, Monday to Saturday)
And those outside the Bazaar:
- Daruzziyafe. In the past it was where they used to feed the poor in the Suleymaniye Mosque. They serve very good Ottoman food – no alcohol. (Sifahane Cad 6, tel 02125118414).
- Tarihi Kuru Fasulyeci. For more than 80 years this restaurant prepares simple and very good Ottoman food. Try the rice with beans, their speciality, cooked very slowly. You cannot go wrong and you will try a traditional ottoman dish. It is a very good place to have lunch. (Suleymaniye Cad, Prof Siddik Sami Onar Cad 11, tel 02125136219- they don’t take credit cards, but is not an expensive place)
- Asmali Konak
- Hamdi Et Lokantasi
- Orient House
- Subasi
- Pandeli in the Spice Bazaar
The hours of the Bazaar are Monday to Saturday from 9am to 7pm. Be aware that the Bazaar is closed on Sundays.
Try not to take a taxi outside the Grand Bazaar, they will cheat you. They are going to ask you for a high fixed price and will refuse to use the taximeter. Try to walk some blocks away from the Bazaar to take one. I hate the taxis in Istanbul.
You are always going to find what are you are looking for in the Grand Bazaar
Nuruosmaniye Caddesi
Just outside the Grand Bazaar there is a pedestrian shopping street, Nuruosmaniye Caddesi, where the locals buy their clothes and much more. There is kitchenware at the end of it and everything that someone would need for the house. You will find wholesale and retail haberdashery. You will find lots of styles of things to wear, for the evening, for parties or just everyday use. There is embroidery, borders, a big range of fabrics of all types and quality, feathers, fur pieces and more. The variety is infinite, overtaken only by the market in Old Delhi. This street goes from the Grand Bazaar down the hill to the Golden Horn, to the Egyptian Bazaar.
Egyptian (Spice) Bazaar
It was called Egyptian Bazaar because the construction was financed with the taxes on the imports from Egypt. It is also perhaps better known as the Spice Bazaar. It was constructed in 1664 as part of the New Mosque Complex, like the Arasta Bazaar beside the Blue Mosque The name of the Spice Bazaar comes of the goods that were sold here, which used to come in those times with the Cairo Caravan. Incredible how all these places were connected by trade. The building was constructed with bricks with high vaulted ceilings wanting to imitate the allure of the Grand Bazaar, but in a smaller size. I like this bazaar a lot. It is small and all of the merchandise is beautifully presented. There is the wonderful aroma of the spices resplendent in their many colours. Being quite small it is easy to walk around and it is easy to shop for souvenirs. Obviously, there are not the amount of shops and the variety that you find in the fantastic Grand Bazaar.
Here you can find Lokum (Turkish delight), teas, herbs, nuts ,lots of different flavoured pistachios, almonds, caviar, olive oil, honey, saffron, incenses, natural sponges, ceramics, soaps, jewellery, cashmere, scarves of all materials, handbags and leather articles .Be careful that they may try to charge a lot more than in the other bazaars, because it is all very tidy and well presented. As in anywhere else in Istanbul discuss the prices! You can have a very nice lunch at the Bab Hayat restaurant.
If you go out from the main exit of the Spice Bazaar in front of the Bosphorus and take a right there you will find the plants. I already mentioned that you can find bulbs there and also lots of animals to buy as pets. In the square in front there are lots of nice open-air cafés where you can relax and have something to eat and drink or smoke a Nargile.
Opening hours for the Egyptian Bazaar are Monday to Saturday from 10 to 6 pm, closed on Sunday.
During the day it is difficult to find an honest taxi driver in front of the Egyptian Bazaar, around 5pm it is nearly impossible. When you stop them they will ask you for a fixed price, which will be double of the usual one. They don’t want to put the taximeter. I always walk until the end of the Bazaar, which are 3 blocks after the Egyptian Bazaar and there I try to stop a taxi. Always check that they are using the taximeter. Don’t use the ones that are standing in the square in front of the Spice Bazaar since these are the dishonest ones, together with the ones around the Grand Bazaar, and if I have to say this applies to most of the taxis in Istanbul.
Arasta Bazaar is a small Bazaar that sells most of the things that you will find in the Grand Bazaar. However, it has a smaller and maybe better selection of merchandise and is easy for people that could be overwhelmed by the large number of shops in the Grand Bazaar. It is also a good alternative if you have less time, but you must be prepared to bargain if you don’t want to pay higher prices. Inside this Bazaar there is a very good Turkish Restaurant, Mesale. The food is of good quality, the prices are fair and it is very interesting to see the Gosleme being made by a woman sitting in a small glass room. Go and see her. She is very friendly, and you can see how she makes them. Gosleme is like a kind of thin salty crepe filled with meat, goat’s cheese or spinach, covered with another thin crepe and cooked on both sides. The crepe is very thin and light. You can also have a nice shish kebab with vegetables and rice. They also have babaganush, hummus and other aubergine dishes. Several times a day a Dervish dances on a stage with live music. You will also see locals and tourists playing backgammon and smoking Narghile (or Shisha). There is a good atmosphere. I always eat there when I come.
Don’t forget to ask for the tax free. Most of fine quality shops have the Global Refund. You need to show your passport when you make the purchase and show the merchandise and the tax invoice to Customs in the Airport and you can get back the tax. Leave time to do this before check-in in the airport as there can be a lot of people doing the same things.