Erin Cullen digs into the archaeology of Kapalı Çarşı or the Grand Bazaar, one of the world's oldest shopping malls.

Time Out Istanbul meanders the gargantuan marketplace in search of new treasures.


As with any relic of a vast and robust empire, modern Istanbul still lingers in a strange predicament. From Byzantium to Constantinople to Istanbul, the city has been caught in a centuries-old culture clash between east and west, first serving as a vital junction between Asia and Europe, and nowadays between the Middle East and the Western world. This staggering bit of history has left present-day Turks in a muddle. East vs. west, antiquity vs. modernization, tradition vs. progress – which to choose? Sometimes it strikes a balance, and the result is simply fantastic. Due to its nature as a hub of social fusion, the Kapalı Çarşı, or Grand Bazaar, is a microcosm for a jumble of cultural influence, and if you know where to look, a bit of old Istanbul’s former glory isn’t too difficult to stumble upon.

Unfortunately most tourists flood into the bazaar with a meager trophy in mind: souvenirs. The main streets are teeming with cheap gifts that anyone back home would find exotic. But those that live here aren’t satisfied with the shoddily-made bags, cheap modern jewelry and replicas of sultan footwear that sightseers salivate over. Locals know where to find everything from handmade silver to healing herbs, and so I tagged along with those in the know for a jaunt through the world’s oldest mall.

Entrance to the bazaar is an awe-inspiring experience regardless of how many times you cross the threshold. Slanted bars of light filter in through vaulted brick ceilings, illuminating burnished copper pots, tables stacked with pyramids of spice and display cases crammed with religious icons. Old men with cay samovars buckled to their backs peddle hot cups of tea, and vendors do their best to guess your language, offering up a seat and some steaming Turkish coffee in exchange for a friendly round of haggling.

First built in 1464 after the Mehmed II stormed the city, the Kapalı Çarşı began as two separate covered markets or bedestans, which eventually connected as new shops radiated outwards. Today the bedestans and hans (or workshops and their related stores), are poised between ancient and modern, presenting a fresh angle to the long-established trades of the ages. They’re also perhaps the best places in the bazaar to find items outside the usual tourist claptrap.

The bazaar’s main entrance just off Nuruosmaniye Camii square deposits tourists directly into the main thoroughfare (Kalpakçılar Caddesi) bursting with jewelry and cheap whatnots. But if you hang an immediate right just inside the entrance, you’ll end up in the Sandal Bedesten, a terrific place to pick up quality fabrics and jewelry. Since the 16th century, this market has been used as an auction hall, and nowadays carpets are snapped up at the Monday and Thursday auctions.

Swing another right onto Sandal Bedesteni Sokak, and head across Aynacılar Sokak to Sıra Odalar Sokağı, the silversmith han area. This is one of the most fascinating sections of the bazaar, as you not only have a chance to buy first-rate silver in old and new styles, but can also see the process by which it’s made. Most shops display their wares on the first floor, while the goods are actually hand-crafted upstairs. If you ask nicely, store owners may show you around their silversmith shops, where you can watch over each part of the age-old smithing process, from hammering and sculpting to the final polishing. You’ll find no factory-made tureens here – every piece of silver is handcrafted using traditional tools, the most advanced being a lathe used to shape the initial slab of metal. We recommend Barocco Silver

(0212 527 88 66 or www.boroccosilver.com) that produces some of the finest craftsmanship around, as well as its sister-store, Aris.

Take your time when heading deeper into the bazaar, as its 50 streets present a wealth of vestiges from the old days. Several ornate fountains sit on Keseciler and Sipahi Sokak as well as two mosques, the Çakır Ağa and Bodrum Çamiş off Yağlıkçılar Caddesi. Avoid the main boulevards unless you’re looking for magnets and cheap t-shirts emblazoned with Turkish flags. On any side street you’ll find more interesting stuff, like Anatolian shawls, Persian relics, old maps of Europe and original pen-and-ink sketches. Some of the shops themselves are so stuffed with fascinating odds and ends they can’t be passed up.

Eventually you’ll come across the bazaar’s center, home to the Cevahir Bedesten, or old jewelry market, which houses some of the most valuable new and antique jewelry in the bazaar. It was once was used as an area for safekeeping money and precious goods in Ottoman times, and today a hopeful inquiry about a small bejeweled ring or harmless-looking beaded necklace may well bring a reply of “2000 US dollars,” so watch your spending habits. In other parts of the bazaar it’s difficult to get above the $50 mark, but here prices mount into the tens of thousands. The bedesten has an eyeful of ancient weaponry, jewelry, antique coins, pottery, brass and copper, but starry-eyed sightseers are quite easy to convince of the authenticity of so-called antique items. If expensive relics are what you’re after, it may be wise to bring along an expert to spot the mock-ups.

This section is also home to some of the only restaurants and cafés in the bazaar, so it’s a good place to take a breather amidst the chaos. The eight-year-old Fes Café (0212 528 36 84) on Halıcılar Caddesi is a relatively new addition to the area, its super-hip yet antiquated décor giving it a trendy air not typically found in the bazaar. Both Fes and the “Abdullah” shop across the way are under the same ownership, and Abdullah could just as well be situated on Spring Street in SoHo as in the center of the oldest bazaar on earth.

Metin, the proprietor, says that he was looking to “inject some change” into the bazaar, but keeps his shop , Abdullah, true to its roots. He retails towels, pashminas, throws, and an assortment of materials in silk, wool, mohair, sheepskin and cotton, all woven on hand looms and dyed with all-natural ingredients, generally for under 120 Euros. Abdullah is also stocked with old textiles from Anatolia, and has provided the set of the movie Troy with various fabrics. Personal hamam bath sets and ornately hand-carved soaps and candles round out Metin’s modern spin on traditional objects. Located between a Quicksilver skate store and an antique shop, it’s as contradictory as the bazaar itself.

Just a few doors down on Halıcılar Caddesi is the trendy Deli Kızın Yeri (0212 511 19 14 or www.delikiz.com), a shop recently opened by retired New Yorker Linda Caldwell. She dubs herself the first foreign female to own a shop in the bazaar’s 500-year history, and by merging traditional Anatolian sewing techniques with innovative modern jewelry and crafts, creates an alluring balance between old and new. She creates 85% of the products, specializing in toys and packable gift items like soft backgammon boards and accessories, usually ranging from 8-50 Euros.

From Deli Kızın Yeri, a relatively short trek westward, yields a virtual cloud nine for book lovers. Continue on toward Aksaray, through the Fesciler Gate, and just across Çadırcılar Caddesi you’ll see the entrance to the Sahaflar Çarşısı, or the Old Book Bazaar. Its 50 or so shops were once part of the Byzantine book and paper market, and now offer everything from glossy new international selections to Ottoman tomes.

If you continue heading north beyond the gates of the bazaar, you’ll find old village markets and an assortment of hans, both great places to find inexpensive odds and ends. Items like pajama pants and t-shirts generally cost little more than 5MTL, and it’s also a good place for cheap underwear: just follow the cries of straight-faced bra sellers yelling in Turkish, “Come get hats for the twins!” (“İkizlere takke!”)

The winding market streets slope down towards the Galata Bridge in Eminönü, and eventually reach the ancient Mısır Çarşısı, or Spice Bazaar. This is a great place to stock up on healing herbs, natural sea sponges, dried fruits and nuts, and every type of spice imaginable. Head west (to your left) and just before the exit check out Malatya Pazarı (0212 522 55 92), one of the oldest, best and most impressive shops in the spice bazaar, its barrels of dried fruits and nuts cascading out into the street. Traditional healing herbal teas, medicinal plants and spices are also available inside, coming to about 2MTL per kilo.

But if it’s not antiquated goods or customary village-wares you’re in search of, and you’d rather prowl around for the holy grail of the modern bazaar – knockoff bags – look no further. Hang a left before you hit Malatya Pazarı, and keep an eye out on the left-hand side for a designer-leather plethora. From Gucci to Dolce & Gabbana, most are nearly carbon copies down to the detail, and range from 75-200MTL. These elusive trophies are coveted by celebrities and the masses alike, so get there early.

If you haven’t smelled it already, Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi (0212 511 42 62 or www.mehmetefendi.com) is

just outside on Tahmis Sokak, and has been doling out the world’s best dried Turkish

coffee for the past 130 years. Today they offer espresso and filtered coffee by popular demand, but we think it better not to mess with time-honored perfection – just pick up a 250g tin and thank heaven for Mehmet Efendi.

A short scramble will take you back up the steep side streets to the Grand Bazaar – just follow the signs and hustle your way through the crowds. Your shopping may be done, but the history and architecture of the bazaar are a spectacle in their own right. Filtering out the tourists and garish gewgaws is a challenge, but if you look hard enough, Old Istanbul, with a modern twist, is around every corner.



Here’s an important tip to remember:

If authentic relics are what you are after, it may be wise to bring along an expert to spot the mock-ups.



Once you’re done with shopping, take some time to savor the history and the architecture of the Bazaar which are spectacles in their own right. Filtering out the tourists and garish gewgaws is a challenge, but if you look hard enough, Old Istanbul, with a modern twist, is around every corner.

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