Shoppers' Paradise (Grand Bazaar)

Member Name: MykReeve

Product:	Grand Bazaar
Date:	26/10/01 (500 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Bargains, Great ambience, Eclectic collection of shops

Disadvantages: Haggling gets a bit tiresome

One of the most fascinating places to visit in the city of Istanbul is the Grand Bazaar. Pretty much every guidebook on the city warns that "nothing can prepare you" for it, and I have to agree. The bazaar covers a huge, sprawling, covered area in the centre of the city, and consists of miles of twisting alleyways of different widths, lined with shops selling all sorts of goods, from carpets to fabrics, household goods to souvenirs, leather goods to football memorabilia.

LOCATION AND SENSE OF DIRECTION

The Grand Bazaar is pretty much in the centre of the southwestern peninsula of the city, just a few yards to the north of the tram route along Yeniceriler Caddesi. The nearest tram stops are Cemberlitas (which is a little to the east of the bazaar), and Beyazit (which is a little to the west of it).

There are several entrances around the edge of the bazaar. The Carsikapi Gate is nearest to Beyazit tram stop, and the Nuruosmaiye Gate is nearest to the Cemberlitas tram stop. Either of these entrances, or the Beyazit Gate (further to the west than the Carsikapi Gate), are ideal for giving you a gentle introduction to the hubbub that is the Grand Bazaar, as they all lead directly onto the Kalpakcilar Basi Caddesi, a relatively wide street in the bazaar (see later in the opinion).

Upon entering the bazaar, you'll pass a number of stern-looking policemen. Generally, Western tourists are allowed to pass them without hassle. If they do stop you, however, it'll only be to half-heartedly pass a metal detector near you, and peer quizzically at your mobile phone.

All the gates are clearly labelled above the entrance, so if you've got a map of the bazaar, at least you'll know where you entered. The fact is, whether you have a map or not, you will lose all sense of direction in the Grand Bazaar. Wandering through the Grand Bazaar is such a fascinating experience, that you'll soon forget how many turnings you
've made, and forget where you're headed, and indeed, where you've been.

My guidebook (the Dorling Kindersley one) helpfully provided a map of the bazaar, but to be honest, I really didn't look at it while exploring the bazaar, because it would have proved tiresome to keep glancing down at the map all the time... and it was much more fun to wander round aimlessly, and stumble upon the increasingly fascinating shops. In addition, the map was a little misleading in places, suggesting that the bazaar's besetens (large warehouses that are part of the bazaar) are free from stalls, where they are generally packed with small shops.

AREAS OF THE BAZAAR

Stalls and shops selling similar goods dominate different areas of the bazaar.

- Kalpakcilar Basi Caddesi

The Kalpakcilar Basi Caddesi, a wide street running the length of the bazaar, on the south side is lined with jewellery shops. These are the most prestigious locations with the Grand Bazaar, and the stores don't attempt to accost passers-by to look at their wares, unlike the stalls in the rest of the bazaar. The goods are, however, considerably more expensive than those in other parts of the bazaar - although the workmanship reflects this too. The street itself is covered by a yellow arched ceiling, and is very crowded throughout the day. This is the best-lit part of the bazaar too, so on a bright day, you might want to stay on this street for a while to let your eyes adjust to the light.

Heading north into the Grand Bazaar proper from the Kalpakcilar Basi Caddesi involves walking down a slight incline, and you'll immediately notice the change in the style of the place. The rest of the Grand Bazaar has much narrower alleys, with stalls and stores spilling out their wares onto the street in front. The adequate lighting comes from occasional windows, letting through tiny shafts of light that glow in the dust of the bazaar, and electric lighti
ng.

- Jewellery

The eastern side of the Grand Bazaar is primarily filled with other jewellery stores. The easternmost of the alleys leading north from the Kalpakcilar Basi Caddesi leads into the Sandal Bedesteni, a warehouse area consisting of twenty brick domes supported on piers. The Sandal Bedesteni is filled with stalls selling souvenirs for tourists, most of which are available cheaper elsewhere in the city or even deeper in the bazaar itself. Essentially, the Sandal Bedesteni is filled with stalls which pray on the easily-intimidated American tourists, who don't really explore the city that much. Nonetheless, if you do want a set of Russian dolls bearing the faces of NBA basketball players, this would be the place to come...

As I mention earlier, the jewellery stores north of the Kalpakcilar Basi Caddesi generally stock poorer quality good than those on the wider street, however, the prices are very good. You can also buy beautifully painted pictures on manuscript, often featuring gold leaf, from the stores here, as well as various knives. Obviously, getting dangerous looking knives back through customs can be extremely difficult - particularly given the stricter security measures in place on flights nowadays - so if you do want to get a knife, make sure it has been blunted, and pack it in your luggage.

- Rugs and Kilims

The area to the west of the jewellery shops is the most central area of the bazaar, surrounding the Ic Bedesten, which is occupied by the shops selling Turkish carpets (kilims). A lot of these stalls are quite professional looking, often with a showroom within the store. The storeowners are quite intimidating, trying everything short of force to get you to come into their store and look at their carpets. Don't be afraid of going in to look at carpets in a store, despite the overaggressive sales technique, most carpet salesmen know their trade, and will give you good advice about what to look
for.

Prices are generally very high, but quality varies enormously. If you're thinking about buying a Turkish carpet, it's worth reading the advice offered in guidebooks before purchasing. Essentially, check that the carpet lies completely flat, without bumps, make sure that the patterns remain consistent throughout the carpet, and make sure the colours are distinct.

If you don't want to buy a whole carpet - perhaps because they're so stunningly expensive - many of the showrooms sell small bags made from worn out carpets or offcuts. These generally cost about 8 million Turkish Lira (a little over £5), and are much easier to get home!

The central Ic Bedesten, although surrounded by carpet showrooms, is filled with tiny stalls selling jewellery. Again, like the Kalpakcilar Basi Caddesi, the owners will do little to attract you into their stores, letting you look at their wares undisturbed.

- Souvenirs

To the west of the kilim area are the souvenir stalls. Souvenirs consist of everything from painted tiles (in the Iznik style) to sets of "Russian" dolls, from drums to nargiles (hookah pipes). These storeowners are probably the most eager of the vendors in the Grand Bazaar, enthusiastically asking you if you are American, and telling you that they can do you good price. Simply pausing in front of a store seems to be enough to count as expressing an interest, and the storeowner will enthusiastically throw himself at you as soon as you stop.

This is where I did most of my shopping, so most of my advice about haggling (see later in the opinion) really applies most to stores in this area. Nargiles vary in price according to size. I bought a blue glass one, with metal work on the glass area, which is around three feet tall when assembled, and cost 10 million Turkish Lira (about £6.50). When you buy a nargile, be sure to ask the storeowner to wrap it thoroughly to ensure that it won't be dam
aged in transit, and ask for advice about how to smoke it (in case it should ever seem like a good idea!). Most storeowners selling nargiles also stock tobacco and blocks of charcoal cut to fit in nargiles.

My other bargains included a copper drum with a handcarved design etched onto it, with an animal skin, which cost 20 million Turkish Lira (about £13), and a set of five "Russian" dolls with pictures of sultans on them, and pictures of the city's tourist attractions for 10 million Turkish Lira (about £6.50).

- Leather Goods

To the west of the souvenir stall area are the stores selling leather goods, and a surprising wealth of denim. Leather jackets can be picked up very cheaply here, supposing that you can endure the overenthusiastic attentions of the stallholders.

- Fabrics

Between the souvenir area and the leather goods stalls is an alley running north lined with stores selling fabrics. In general, this isn't of much interest to visiting tourists, but you can buy some beautiful woven cushion covers for the equivalent of just three or four pounds. Most of these stores don't actually sell the cushion filling material, but to be honest, for reasons of packing, you're probably best off buying it when you get home anyway.

HAGGLING

Your best bet for buying things in the Grand Bazaar is to look at things and decide what you think would be a good price for them. Then ask how much the storeowner wants to charge you for it. In general, the price they give you is around 30 to 50% higher than the price that they'd be prepared to accept for it. Don't be afraid to haggle over price, the storeowners are used to it, and it can be quite fun. Occasionally, you'll encounter a storeowner who will refuse to haggle, and will mutter something about how he didn't haggle when he visited your country, but this is all part of the game... if you continue pressing for a lower price, he&#
39;ll eventually agree to debate it with you.

If the storeowner doesn't seem willing to reduce the price as much as you'd like, storm off. The more expensive the item, and the longer you've spent arguing over price already, the more likely the storeowner is to charge after you as you walk off in mock disgust. Curiously, the longer your argument over price goes on, the more friendly the storeowner will become, and often, once the haggle is over, he'll invite you into his store for a cup of tea and a chat.

Nonetheless, even if you don't get the best price you possibly could, the important thing is to get a price that you're happy with - it doesn't really matter if you've paid a little more than the storeowner would have been prepared to let you pay.

CONCLUSIONS

The Grand Bazaar is an absolutely fascinating place to spend a few hours. It can be quite tiring to tour the bazaar, having to continually explain to stallholders that you have no interest in buying their wares, but it's well worth it. Also, make sure you keep track of your wallet - even though I had no problem with pickpockets in the bazaar, the crowded alleys provide an ideal environment for petty theft.

Around every corner you find a whole new line of fascinating and diverse stores selling even more fascinating goods. The place has a unique ambience, with its bustling streets and eclectic stalls, making it an ideal area to buy gifts for friends and relatives - a real shoppers' paradise.

The Bazaar is open from 9am to 7pm, Monday to Saturday. It's considerably busier in the afternoon and evening, and on Saturdays, so your best bet is to visit on a weekday morning.

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