Istanbul Guide

BAZAAR DISTRICT

SPICE BAZAAR

DAVID MADISON/GETTY IMAGES ©

DID YOU KNOW?  Leeches are still used for traditional medical treatments in Turkey. You’ll see them being offered for sale in the outdoor market on the eastern side of the Spice Bazaar, alongside poultry and pot plants. PRACTICALITIES  M ı s ı r Çar ş ı s ı , Egyptian Market  Map p242, E2  % 212-513 6597  www.misircarsisi.org  h 8am-7.30pm  j Eminönü

Vividly coloured spices are displayed alongside jewel like lokum (Turkish Delight) at this Ottoman-era marketplace, providing eye candy for the thousands of tourists and locals who visit each day. Stalls also sell dried herbs, caviar, nuts, honey in the comb, dried fruits and pestil (fruit pressed into sheets and dried). It’s a great place to stock up on edible souvenirs. The market was constructed in the 1660s as part of the New Mosque (p99), with rent from the shops supporting the upkeep of the mosque as well as its charitable activi ties, which included a school, hamam and hospital. The name M ı s ı r Çar ş ı s ı (Egyptian Market) comes from the fact that the building was initially endowed with taxes levied on goods imported from Egypt. In its heyday the bazaar was the last stop for the camel caravans that trav elled the Silk Road from China, India and Persia. On the west side of the market, there are outdoor pro duce stalls selling fresh foodstuff from all over Anatolia, including a wonderful selection of cheeses. Also here is the most famous coffee supplier in İ stanbul, Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi (p111), established over 100 years ago. This is located on the corner of Has ı rc ı lar Caddesi, which is full of shops selling foodstuffs and kitchenware.