Turkey is a good shopping destination. I didn't have much time to explore malls though however i now have an idea that where from and what to get! Certainly.
1. Grand Bazaar
Let's begin with the place i am pretty sure we all are aware of! THE Grand Bazaar, which as the name suggests is pretty grand! Grand Bazaar was founded in 1461. It has 60 narrow street with almost 3600 shops. Precious fabrics, antiques,jewelries, bags and clothes, you name it and literally everything Turkish is sold in this magnificent bazaar.
The only deal however is that if you really shop here, you better be smart. As i said earlier in the first part, the key to success lies in your ability to bargain! The prices are always high! Also if the shopkeeper drops the price really low, you might want to question the quality of the stuff you are buying! Hmm, so basically smart shopping is all you need!
Also read lots of articles before you plan to shop in the bazaar. So much is written on the internet about the fake jewelry shops and the ones that can be trusted. Note down the shop numbers and only shop in the places recommended!
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| Grand Bazaar (from outside) |
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| Streets with loads of shops |
2.Museum shops for jewelry
Highly recommended for jewelry.Since they are government owned and give you a guarantee card, the authenticity is not questionable for sure! Also if you have a good eye, you can easily judge the difference!
Bargaining is not an option here however. The prices are fixed! So yes don't even try! :P
3. Isteklal Street
So if you want to do brand shopping, i recommend this street. It is a mini Oxford Street with a lot of Turkish brands and a few international ones too. I really liked a few brands but make sure you have enough money because the prices are on the high-end. One brand that really caught me attention was Mavi. For chic and classy, this brand had amazing clothes and super amazing denim. Basically they are famous for their jeans so buy one if you can!
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| Isteklal street is a good place to hang out! |
LC Waikiki is another store you might want to visit. For me it was Turkish Primark with high prices,to be very honest. I know i shouldn't be comparing London with Turkey but i was all the time. Couldn't help. The stuff is nice and there's a lot to choose from so if you are really into shopping Turkish brands, this one is recommended!
4. Malls
Istanbul has good enough malls to cater to your brand shopping! I didn't visit them this time because naturally a lot of time gets wasted in the malls, so either i could explore Istanbul or shop. I chose the former!
5. Goreme market in Cappadocia
Loved the market, immensely! Firstly because there was no language barrier. They spoke really well English, so at least i could easily communicate! Secondly, i wasn't expecting it to be this huge with great stuff! Also i found my authentic kilim bags ( read to know more). So basically 100 brownie points for the market!
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| Best shop for bags and carpets! Thumbs up indeed! |
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| Since i was too busy shopping, i forgot to take pictures of the shops! So here is a horse cart for you! |
What to buy / what i bought?
There is so much to buy that you end up saving so much money! Haha.
So i always thought whenever i visit turkey, i will definitely get the turkish lamps and when i actually happened to see them in real, they were pretty familiar to what i have seen in Pakistan already. So i completely quit the idea of adding load to my baggage.
This was not to discourage you from buying the lamps at all. Just my opinion on why they shouldn't be bought. They were not something extraordinary to be honest!
Jewelry. Yes! Do buy! Just be super conscious of what you are buying and where you are buying from. These are some of the things i got.
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| You see the intricacy of the design?! |
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| Isn't it stunning? |
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| Gold! |
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| Do not come back home without an evil eye! Never ever! |
Kilim bag was my top priority. These are bags made up of carpet remains and leather and considering Turkish bags are amazing, i had to buy these! I bought a few from Grand Bazaar but a shop in Cappadocia was hands down, the best i found!Its called Ottoman Art Gallery and they have some amazing carpets and bags! The bags are expensive so if someone is selling them at a lower price, they are definitely not authentic!
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| Carpet and leather. |
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| Amazing details! |
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| They come in different sizes,shapes and designs! |
The evil eye was anywhere, everywhere! The myth is so strong, they make amazing stuff out of it! Small things like key chains, wall hangings,pottery and souvenirs can be amazing gifts!
Silk scarves are beautiful out there! The designing is so intricate with amazing textures. I bought a couple of them because i usually wear scarves so highly recommended if you are into scarves too!
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| Two from the many i bought! |
We have this agreement between sisters at home where irrespective of where we live in our lives, we will always bring magnet for the fridge at our parents' home from anywhere we travel!So, spot Turkey!
Also don't forget to buy Turkish delights!!
These are a few things i bought, in bulk! Bulk of everything actually. I have a good number of women in my family, so yeah. I tried to cover up mostly everything and give you an idea from what i experienced! I hope when you visit and shop, you are reminded of me! I wont mind a bag or two, just sayin'!
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