{"id":43659,"date":"2011-09-07T10:21:46","date_gmt":"2011-09-07T07:21:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.turkishforum.com.tr\/en\/content\/?p=43659"},"modified":"2011-09-07T10:21:46","modified_gmt":"2011-09-07T07:21:46","slug":"10-of-the-best-markets-in-istanbul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/2011\/09\/07\/10-of-the-best-markets-in-istanbul\/","title":{"rendered":"10 of the best markets in Istanbul"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"main-article-info\">\n<p id=\"stand-first\">From backstreet  haggling pits crammed with elbowing aunties to the best Louis Vuitton  knockoffs in the city, Latifa Akay rounds up the best markets in town<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li> Latifa Akay<\/li>\n<li> guardian.co.uk<\/li>\n<div id=\"article-wrapper\">\n<div id=\"article-body-blocks\">\n<h2>\u00c7ar\u015famba<\/h2>\n<p>A sprawling weekly affair in an  ultra-conservative area, the enormous Fatih \u00c7ar\u015famba (Wednesday) market \u2013  flogging fruit and veg, eggs and cured meats, outrageous stilettos,  gadgets, branded clothing and, well, everything at rock-bottom prices \u2013  is not a place for the faint-hearted. Disorganised and wholly unruly,  relentless sellers on table-tops wade among overflowing wares, bellowing  prices and bagging goods at the slightest sign of interest. Favoured by  locals, tourists are refreshingly absent, so keep the cameras under  wraps, adopt a steely visage and don&#8217;t hold back from joining swarms of  angry mothers raking through mountains of clothing, as these will, no  matter how unlikely it seems, produce the occasional gem. Bags and loved  ones should be kept close at all times.<br \/>\n\u2022 <em>Kirmasti Mahellesi, 34083 Fatih<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Inebolu<\/h2>\n<p>A  genuine Istanbul &#8220;foodie&#8221; can be defined by their affinity with the  Inebolu Sunday market, an Anatolian culinary carnival located in the  downtown grime of Beyo\u011flu&#8217;s Kasimpa\u015fa district. Tobacco-chewing sellers  from the Inebolu Black Sea region of Turkey set off in their lorries on  Saturday night to arrive in Istanbul at the crack of dawn, laden with  the finest organic produce; chunky slabs of corn bread,\u00a0bushels of  fragrant herbs, thick pastes and purees, crates of eggs,\u00a0bright flowers,  splitting sacks of grain, walnuts and hazelnuts and bins of glistening  olives.\u00a0With beady-eyed punters beginning their forage as early as 6am,  shalwar-clad damsels and their moustached counterparts police  topsy-turvy stalls in a chorus of discordant bellows. A trip to Anatolia  and back again \u2013 and all before breakfast. Shuts up shop early, at 4pm.<br \/>\n\u2022 <em>Toprak Tabya Sokak, 34440 K\u00fc\u00e7\u00fck Piyale<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Spice bazaar<\/h2>\n<p>A short walk from the Grand Bazaar, the 17th-century Emin\u00f6n\u00fc Egyptian Spice Bazaar,  open seven days a week, is another favourite of the camera-wielding,  souvenir-seeking tourist. A bustling gastronomic paradise since 1664,  this is the best place to pick up dried fruits and nuts, spices, olives,  Turkish delight, oils and essences of the finest order. Bronze curios  glint in the sun, torpedo-sized dates are stacked to the rafters, and  the decadent scent of freshly ground Mehmet Efendi coffee merges with  the aroma of fresh fish, with surprisingly non-toxic consequences.  Marriage proposals should only be entertained if they involve free  Turkish delight.<br \/>\n\u2022 <em>Sururi Mahellesi, 34120 Fatih<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Ye\u015filk\u00f6y<\/h2>\n<p>Living  up to its tranquil title, Ye\u015filk\u00f6y (green village) market is the  perfect stop-off for those in search of a less frantic market  experience. Abundant in greenery, the vast Wednesday weekly has a  reputation for high-quality products (including excellent fake silk  scarves) and even provides toilet facilities. Two thousand stalls  (organised into designated areas), vibrant floral displays and scattered  tea cafes combine to create something  unheard of in Turkey\u00a0&#8211; a  relaxing market browse. Gems include makeup from Mac to Maybelline,  available at up to 50% discount, and the best fake Louis Vuitton in the  city.<br \/>\n\u2022 <em>Ye\u015filk\u00f6y Halkali Caddesi, Bakirk\u00f6y, 34149<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Sahaflar<\/h2>\n<p>One thing you will <em>not<\/em> find in abundance at Turkish street markets is books. But  the old  booksellers&#8217; market in Beyazit is a haven of old volumes. A leafy city  oasis located between the Grand Bazaar and Beyazit Mosque,  under a canopy of chestnut and acacia trees, the 15th-century market  and its associated tea garden was a hotspot for prominent poets,  academics and authors in the mid-20th century, and now hosts 23   bookstores. Stationery, calligraphy materials, textbooks, novels and  foreign and holy literature, Sahaflar has it all. Huddles of elderly,  tobacco-chewing gents peddle watches, badges, old coins and trinkets, ,   although it&#8217;s never entirely clear who is working and who is just  hanging around for a chat.<br \/>\n\u2022 <em>\u00c7adircilar Caddesi, Beyazit Mahallesi, 34126<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Be\u015fikta\u015f<\/h2>\n<p>A  district of Istanbul best known for its black-and-white clad football  team and fanatical supporters, Be\u015fikta\u015f hosts a weekly Saturday bazaar  that is anything but two-tone. Refreshingly lacking in tourist tat, this  multi-storey car park turned two-storey treasure trove is fronted by an  extravaganza of fresh foods &#8211; pyramids of rosy tomatoes and mountains  of cucumbers &#8211; winding a path to the second floor, where you&#8217;ll find  heaped factory seconds, dubiously patterned underwear sold by even more  dubious vendors, and unusual jewels at irresistible prices. Look out for  dazzling knuckleduster rings and every manner of tasselled,  multicoloured bohemian headgear. A small makeshift cafe offers some  welcome respite out the back &#8211; recuperate and return.<br \/>\n\u2022<em> N\u00fczhetiye Caddesi, Be\u015fikta\u015f<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Bakirk\u00f6y<\/h2>\n<p>Attracting  a mixture of locals and tourists alike, this vast Saturday fixture &#8211; a  white mass stretching up the Marmara coast &#8211; pulls in the  bargain-hunters with its range and quality of wares, flogged by  international sellers from the Turkic-speaking nations and beyond.  Designer shoes, quirky costume jewellery, unusual homeware, pyramids of  exquisite organic produce\u2026 seek and you shall find. Among the chaos,  women with beet-red faces, dressed in starchy white attire, roll dough  with disconcerting vigour, slapping it on to sizzling pans with goat&#8217;s  cheese and parsley to produce mouth-watering traditional  G\u00f6zleme. The  market rises and sets with the sun.<br \/>\n\u2022 <em>Osmaniye Mahellesi, 34144 Istanbul Province (beside the Metro station)<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Kadik\u00f6y<\/h2>\n<p>The  novelty of being able to say &#8220;Just popping over to Asia&#8221; is not the  only reason to cross to the &#8220;other side&#8221; of Istanbul. A 25-minute boat  journey from the piers at Be\u015fikta\u015f, Kabata\u015f and Emin\u00f6n\u00fc, this  down-and-out haggling pit for those seeking the perfect peach or  ultimate bed sheet is located in Hasanpa\u015fa, a 10-minute walk from the  ferry terminal. Traditionally a Tuesday fixture, the authentic trading  hub (with not an inch of vertical space left yawning) is now also open  on Fridays, but only to sell clothing. Beware &#8220;Abercrombie and Twitch&#8221;.<br \/>\n\u2022 <em>Hasanpa\u015fa Mahellesi, 34722 Kadik\u00f6y<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Tarlaba\u015fi<\/h2>\n<p>A  short stroll from the bright lights of Taksim&#8217;s Istiklal Street, the  hard-knock residential area of Tarlaba\u015fi \u2013 an area associated with  unemployment, crime and prostitution \u2013 is not the first destination that  comes to mind when directing earnest travellers. Yet surprisingly, the  rough-and-readyTarlaba\u015fi\u00a0Sunday food market \u2013 a rabbit warren of dusty,  uneven streets \u2013 boasts a loyal following from all corners of Istanbul  society, from penny-pinching Erasmus students to muttering old villagers  craving a taste of home. Stall-holders arrive in laden trucks at the  crack of dawn, to unload oozing figs with the texture of honey, dazzling  fruits, glowing jams of rosehip, apricot and raspberry, and pickled\u2026  everything. Economical street shopping at its most authentic.<br \/>\n\u2022 <em>Sakiz A\u011faci Sokak, Beyo\u011flu Mahellesi<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Grand Bazaar<\/h2>\n<p>Constructed in 1461, the Grand Bazaar,  boasting 5,000 shops, is one of the largest covered markets in the  world. Once a vibrant hub of international and local trade, recent  decades have seen this labyrinth of glittering delights win the hearts,  minds and wallets of wide-eyed tourists in search of the ultimate  oriental shopping experience. With beckoning sellers peddling exquisite  textiles, pottery, spices, jewellery, lanterns and souvenirs, bartering  is an absolute must. However, resist the urge to entertain small boys  wielding spinning tops on strings, who will address you as &#8220;mother&#8221;,  regardless of age \u2013 and, occasionally, gender. At the end of the day, if  it gets a bit too bizarre, 22 historical gateways offer ample escape  routes.<br \/>\n\u2022 <em>The Bazaar is closed Sundays; Divanyolu Caddesi 42, Sultanahmet, 34010<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u2022 All markets open at dawn and close at dusk, unless otherwise stated<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"related\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From backstreet haggling pits crammed with elbowing aunties to the best Louis Vuitton knockoffs in the city, Latifa Akay rounds up the best markets in town Latifa Akay guardian.co.uk \u00c7ar\u015famba A sprawling weekly affair in an ultra-conservative area, the enormous Fatih \u00c7ar\u015famba (Wednesday) market \u2013 flogging fruit and veg, eggs and cured meats, outrageous stilettos, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":782164,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1094],"tags":[4218,102],"class_list":["post-43659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tourism","tag-grand-bazaar","tag-istanbul"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43659","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/83"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43659"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43659\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/782164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}