“Ma’am, have a cup of tea!” a voice called from a carpet shop. I had been meandering, and steadily getting lost, in Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar for what seemed like hours, and a cup of tea would go down a treat, so I accepted. And that’s how I met Hassan. Hassan was only one of dozens — if not hundreds — of carpet vendors in the gigantic bazaar, but he made a lovely glass of sweet, milky tea and surrounded me with his fine examples of Turkish kilims.
Biggest and oldest
Sitting back and looking at the woven treasures in front of me, I reflected: built during the reign of Sultan Mehmed II in 1461, the bazaar is not only the world’s oldest mall, with 4,400 shops, but also the world’s largest covered building, spread across 75 acres. Add to that the reportedly half a million visitors a day and you have a bustling hotspot.
Bag those brands
In the 60-odd labyrinthine alleys of the market — which goes by the names Covered Bazaar and Kapalıçarşı — you can find not only magnificent kilims, leather jackets and bags, traditional arts and crafts as well as jewellery but also very good fake Louis Vuitton bags and even that elusive Birkin. For anybody who lacks willpower, this is definitely the place to buy that extra suitcase you will require when packing up at the end of your stay.
Back on track
I was able to resist Hassan’s kilims, even though the history behind them intrigued me. I thanked him for the tea and eventually managed to extract myself from his shop.
After getting lost a few more times, trying to use the fountains and coffee houses as markers in the bazaar, I finalised my purchases and headed out of one of the many entrances opposite the main gate — one of four plus 18 smaller ones — hoping to head towards another, slightly less confusing bazaar, the Egyptian Spice Bazaar, or Mısır Çarşısı.
A visitor’s delight
A few lanes down the Grand Bazaar towards the Golden Horn, the much smaller Spice Bazaar — although still the second-oldest and second-largest market after Kapalıçarşı — does exactly what it says on the tin: it specialises in spices and small food items and plenty of squidgy Turkish Delight as well as nuts and dried fruit.
Dating back to 1664, the attractive exterior of the spice market matches its overwhelming interior. The aroma wafting from the covered market that by now has taken to spilling across the square in front of it is intoxicating, sweet and savoury, with freshly ground coffee beans thrown in for
good measure.
Although more and more touristy stalls are creeping in, the mainstay is still ground or dried spices, piles of garishly coloured delight, and tubs of other foodstuff.
L-shaped without meandering mazes, in this bazaar I didn’t get lost and rewarded myself with a simit (Turkish circular bread) covered in sesame seeds from a little cart just outside the main gate and nibbled that, surrounded by my shopping bags, while watching the bustling ferries by the Galata Bridge.
