Lonely Planet İstanbul Guide

the bazaar tend to be both cheaper and fresher.

TEXTILES MUHLIS GÜNBATTI ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; % 0212-511 6562; www.muhlisgunbatti.com.tr; Perdahçılar Sokak 48, Grand Bazaar; h 8.30am-7pm Mon-Sat; j Beyazıt-Kapalı Çarşı) One of the most famous stores in the Grand Bazaar, Muhlis Günbattı specialises in suzani fabrics from Uzbekistan. These beautiful bedspreads, tablecloths and wall hangings are made from fine cotton embroidered with silk. As well as the textiles, it stocks a small range of antique Ottoman fabrics and clothing richly embroidered with gold. ETHNICON ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; % 0212-527 6841; www.ethnicon.com; Tekkeçiler Sokak 58-60, Grand Bazaar; h 8.30am-7pm Mon-Sat; j Beyazıt-Kapalı Çarşı) 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 ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; % 0212-527 6841; www.dhoku.com; Tekkeçiler Sokak 58-60, Grand Bazaar; h 8.30am-7pm Mon-Sat; j Beyazıt-Kapalı Çarşı) 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, EthniCon, opposite Dhoku, sells similarly stylish rugs in vivid colours. SERHAT GERIDÖNMEZ ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; % 0212-519 8017; Şerifağa Sokak 69, İç Bedesten, Grand Bazaar; h 8.30am 7pm Mon-Sat; j Beyazıt-Kapalı Çarşı) 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. CARPETS CARPETS JEWELLERY