Istanbul's bazaars

2-MIN READ2-MIN

Published: 12:00am, 27 Apr 2008

You could spend hours wandering around the maze of alleyways in Istanbul's bazaars. Eminonu district is home to the Spice Bazaar, or Misir Carsisi (below), where myriad shops sell herbs, cheese, soaps and dried fruit.

In a prime corner of the bazaar is Malatya Pazari (shop 1, Misir Carsisi 44; www.malatyapazari.com.tr), which sells stuffed apricots, figs, dates and cubes of Turkish delight. The owner's business was established by his great-grandfather 125 years ago. You can pay as little as a few dollars for a handful of dates or buy them in gift boxes priced from 10 lira (HK$60).

The Papatya Aktar medicine shop (Misir Carsisi 67, tel: 90 212 528 8575; www.papatyaaktar.com) has teas, herbs, tinctures and oils said to cure everything from haemorrhoids to impotence.

The herbal love potions and Turkish Viagra are the best-sellers at this traditional medicine shop, which looks like a science laboratory. Pick up some 'night of Istanbul' (6 lira per milligram), an aromatherapy oil that can be used as a perfume, as a bath oil and for massage. Mehmet Kalmaz (Misir Carsisi 41, tel: 90 212 522 6604) also specialises in potions and lotions. It sells remedies said to make men stronger and women look younger.

Caffeine addicts, meanwhile, will be drawn to Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi Mahdumlari (66 Tahmis Sokak, Eminonu; www.mehmetefendi.com). Istanbul's best-known coffee purveyor sells Turkish, espresso and filtered coffee. Pick up two signature cups and saucers, a copper pot and a jar of coffe for about 30 lira.

The Grand Bazaar (Kapali Carsi) is a shopaholic's dream. The labyrinth of dome-roofed lanes, its oldest parts dating back to the 15th century, is virtually a city within a city, with mosques, banks, cafes, restaurants and more than 4,000 shops. The maze of alleyways has stalls selling leather coats, jewellery and carpets. Other vendors specialise in glass lamps, replica Ottoman weapons, mother-of-pearl mirrors, water pipes and hand-painted ceramic bowls.