Istanbul Guide

110

MUHLIS GÜNBATTI

h 8.30am-7pm Mon-Sat; j Beyaz ı t-Kapal ı Çar ş ı ) If you fancy a leather jacket or coat, Koç is bound to have something that suits. It’s one of the bazaar’s busiest stores and certainly the most stylish of the leather outlets here. CANKURTARAN GIDA FOOD Map p242 (Cankurtaran Food Center; % 0212-520 2937; www.eng.cankurtarangida.com.tr; Spice Bazaar 33, Eminönü; h 8am-7.30pm; j Eminönü) Supplying locals with amber-hued honey from Hakkari and Siirt, pungent pastrami from Kayseri and cheeses from every cor ner of the country since 1946, Cankurtaran G ı da is the best deli in the Spice Bazaar and a great spot to visit if you’re after picnic SPICES Map p242 ( % 0212-522 6612; www.arifoglu. com; Spice Bazaar 31, Eminönü; h 8am-7.30pm; j Eminönü) Well-priced Iranian saffron joins honey, perfumed oils and spices of every imaginable colour and aroma on the shelves of this reliable store in the Spice Ba zaar. There’s another branch at number 59. UCUZCULAR BAHARAT SPICES Map p242 ( % 0212-528 2895; www.ucuzcular. com.tr; Spice Bazaar 51, Eminönü; h 8am 7.30pm; j Eminönü) A showcase of colourful and fragrant spices, Ucuzcular concocts its own blends and will vacuum pack them for travellers who are keen to add them to their luggage. MALATYA PAZARI FOOD Map p242 ( % 0212-520 0440; www.malatya pazari.com.tr; Spice Bazaar 44, Eminönü; h 8am 7.30pm; j Eminönü) The city of Malatya in central-eastern Turkey is famous for its apricots, and this shop with two branches near the Spice Bazaar’s Tahmis Caddesi doorway stocks the cream of the crop, dried both naturally and chemically. Its other quality dried fruit and nuts eclipse all oth ers in this bazaar. MEHMET KALMAZ BAHARATÇI BEAUTY Map p242 ( % 0212-522 6604; Spice Bazaar 41, Eminönü; h 8am-7.30pm; j Eminönü) Members of the Kalmaz family have been concocting remedies based on Ottoman-era recipes at this old-fashioned shop since 1950. Custom ers come here to source potions, lotions, teas and medicinal herbs, enabling them to look younger, feel stronger and overcome ailments. provisions. ARIFO Ğ LU

TEXTILES

BAZAAR DISTRICT SHOPPING Map p95 ( % 0212-527 6841; www.ethnicon. com; Tekkeçiler Sokak 58-60, Grand Bazaar; h 8.30am-7pm Mon-Sat; j Beyaz ı t-Kapal ı Çar ş ı ) The name is a shortening of ‘Ethnic’ and ‘Contemporary’ and that, in a nutshell, is the type of rug that this fashionable shop produces. EthniCon can be said to have started the current craze in contemporary kilims (pileless woven rugs). DHOKU CARPETS Map p95 ( % 0212-527 6841; www.dhoku.com; Tekkeçiler Sokak 58-60, Grand Bazaar; h 8.30am 7pm Mon-Sat; j Beyaz ı t-Kapal ı Çar ş ı ) One of the new generation of rug stores opening in the bazaar, Dhoku (meaning ‘texture’) sells artfully designed wool kilims in resolutely modernist designs. Its sister store, Ethni Con, opposite Dhoku, sells similarly stylish rugs in vivid colours. SERHAT GERIDÖNMEZ JEWELLERY Map p95 ( % 0212-519 8017; Ş erifa ğ a Sokak 69, İ ç Bedesten, Grand Bazaar; h 8.30am-7pm Mon Sat; j Beyaz ı t-Kapal ı Çar ş ı ) There are plenty of jewellers in the Grand Bazaar, but few sell objects as gorgeous as the expertly crafted copies of Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine pieces on offer at this tiny store. SEVAN BIÇAKÇI JEWELLERY Map p242 ( % 0212-520 4516; www.sevanbicakci. com; Gazi Sinan Pa ş a Sokak 16, Nuruosmaniye; h 10am-6pm Mon-Sat; j Çemberlita ş ) Inspired by the monuments and history of his much loved İ stanbul, flamboyant jeweller Sevan B ı çakç ı creates wearable art that aims to impress. His flagship store is near the Grand Bazaar’s Nuruosmaniye Gate. KOÇ DERI LEATHER CLOTHING Map p242 ( % 0212-527 5553; http://kocderi. com/en/; Kürkçüler Çar ş ı s ı 22-46, Grand Bazaar; Map p95 ( % 0212-511 6562; www.muhlis gunbatti.com.tr; Perdahç ı lar Sokak 48, Grand Bazaar; h 8.30am-7pm Mon-Sat; j Beyaz ı t Kapal ı Çar ş ı ) One of the most famous stores in the Grand Bazaar, Muhlis Günbatt ı spe cialises in suzani fabrics from Uzbekistan. These beautiful bedspreads, tablecloths and wall hangings are made from fine cot ton embroidered with silk. As well as the textiles, it stocks a small range of antique Ottoman fabrics and clothing richly em broidered with gold. ETHNICON CARPETS