Turkey » Shopping in Istanbul

Nisantasi is a quarter of Istanbul, Turkey, comprising neighbourhoods like Tesvikiye, Osmanbey, Pangalti. It includes stores of world famous brands. The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul is one of the largest covered markets in the world with more than 58 streets and 4000 shops in it, and has 250,000-400,000 visitors daily. It is well-known for its jewelry, pottery, spice and carpet shops. Many of the stalls in the bazaar are grouped by type of good, with regions for leather coats, gold jewelry and the like. Profilo Shopping Center (1998), Tepe Nautilus (2002), Acibade, Town Center (2003), Uptown Shopping Center (2003), Etiler, 1000A Decoration Center (2003), Sisli these are some of the famous and modern shopping markets.

Visitors tend to flock to the famous Grand Bazaar in Beyazit (open 0700-1900, Monday to Saturday), with its Ottoman atmosphere and cool covered streets. This is a good place for an overview of goods and prices, however better bargains can often be found in the smaller shopping areas of Sultanahmet and Beyazit. Likewise, the famous Spice Bazaar is a must see, if only for the mountains of Turkish delight. Outside of the state-owned markets, most shops stay open until late evening, although the official opening hours are Monday to Saturday 0900-1800. Even at midnight, however, there are traders on the main pedestrian thoroughfares selling toys, socks, black market CDs and even antiques laid out on the ground.

Typical Turkish gifts include wooden boxes of Turkish delight, delicate albeit cheap tea sets, spice trays and boxes of granulated apple tea.

Top Ten Souvenirs to buy and shopping in Turkey
1 - Blue Eye
2 - Carpets and Kilims
3 - Leather Clothing
4 - Pottery
5 - Jewelry
6 - Ceramics
7 - Onyx
8 - Spices
9 - Copper Ornaments
10- Turkish Delight