Bazaar

Bazaar Review

The heart of the bazaar is the Zincirli Bedestan, with shops selling copperwork, mother of pearl inlay, saddles, and Ottoman-style leather shoes. Beyond the bedestan is the Bakircilar Çarsisi, the market of the coppersmiths, where an orchestra of craftspeople tap out bowls and coffee cups between customers. From here you emerge at the Tahmis Coffee House, one of the most traditional places to try Turkish coffee and where, legend has it, the Sultan Murat IV dropped in for coffee on his way to conquer Baghdad in 1638 (the current shop was built after a fire destroyed the original in the 19th century). The neighboring Sufi lodge, now the Mevlevihanesi Vakif Museum, with historic Korans and kilims (free admission).