Istanbul Guide

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commissions, fakes and dodgy merchan dise, so you need to be very careful when making a purchase. Don’t fall for the shtick of touts on the street – these guys never, ever work for the truly reputable dealers. Scam artists abound in the carpet trade. Be extremely wary in all of your negotia tions and dealings. CERAMICS Turkish ceramics are beautiful and the standard fare fits within most budgets. Many of the tiles you see in the tourist shops have been painted using a silk screen printing method and this is why they’re cheap. Hand-painted bowls, plates and other pieces are more expensive; the best have original designs and are painted without the use of a carbon-paper pattern. Head to the Arasta Bazaar (p 88 ) or Grand Bazaar (p93 ) to find good examples. FASHION The local fashion industry is thriving and there are plenty of chains, department stores and boutiques to investigate. Head to Nişantaşı, Tophane and Karaköy to find the most interesting boutiques. GLASSWARE İstanbul produces some unique glasswork, a legacy of the Ottoman Empire’s affec tion for this delicate and intricate art. Paşabahçe shops around the city sell at tractive glassware that is mass produced at its factory on the upper Bosphorus. INLAID WOOD Local artisans make jewellery boxes, fur niture and chess and backgammon boards that are inlaid with different-coloured woods, silver or mother-of-pearl. Make sure the piece really does feature inlay. These days alarmingly accurate decals ex ist. Also check the silver: is it really silver, or does it look like aluminium or pewter? And what about that mother-of-pearl? It is in fact ‘daughter-of-polystyrene’? JEWELLERY İstanbul is a wonderful place to buy jewel lery, especially pieces made by the city’s growing number of artisans creating con temporary pieces inspired by local culture. You’ll find great examples around and inside the Grand Bazaar, and in Beyoğlu and Nişantaşı.

NEED TO KNOW Opening Hours

SHAWLS Those keen on buying a shawl should be aware of the difference between a pash mina and a shahtoosh. Pashminas use cashmere from Himalayan goats that is blended with silk, whereas shahtooshs are woven from the hair of the endangered Tibetan antelope. Antelope wool is usually obtained after the animal’s death, so we believe that shahtoosh purchase should be avoided. Neither bear any resemblance to the cheap, faux pashminas that are sold by stores in the Grand Bazaar, which are made from synthetic fibre. TEXTILES Turkey’s southeast region is known for its textiles, and there are examples aplenty on show in the Grand Bazaar (p 93 ). You can also find top-quality cotton, linen and silk there. Collectors of antique textiles will be in seventh heaven when inspecting the deco rative tribal textiles that have made their way here from Central Asia. These are often sold in carpet shops. ₺118 from a shop that participates in the national ‘Global Refund: Tax Free Shopping’ scheme, you are entitled to a refund of the KDV at your point of departure. At the air port, remember to have customs inspect your purchase(s) and stamp your tax-free form before you go through immigration; you can then collect your refund near the food court in the departure lounge. The most common shopping hours are from 10am to 7pm Monday to Saturday, but this is by no means always the case. We have indicated specific hours in most reviews. Taxes & Refunds Turkey has a value-added tax (VAT), known as the katma değer vergisi (KDV). This means that a tax of between 1% and 60% is included in the price of most goods and services. Rates vary wildly – eg alco hol is taxed at 18% (producers also pay a tax of 50%), whereas food and books are taxed at 8%. If you buy an item costing more than

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