Spice Bazaar

Overview

Walk in from the Eminönü waterfront, and the smell arrives before anything else: cumin, cinnamon, dried mint, roasting coffee. Under a long vaulted roof, shops glow with pyramids of red pepper, trays of Turkish delight, strings of dried aubergines and bags of saffron and pistachios. The Spice Bazaar has stood beside the New Mosque for more than 350 years, and it is still the place where Istanbul comes to buy its spices, nuts and sweets. For lunch after the bazaar, join our Eminönü and Pandeli lunch tour.

In Turkish it is the “Egyptian Bazaar”, and its rents helped pay for the mosque next door. Pandeli, a restaurant whose story began in 1901, also sits upstairs. Outside, the Turkish coffee roasters of Tahmis Sokak and the market lanes behind are where locals really shop.

The Spice Bazaar at a Glance

The Spice Bazaar (Mısır Çarşısı) stands in the Eminönü quarter of the Fatih district, at the southern end of the Galata Bridge, next to the New Mosque (Yeni Cami). It is the other great covered market of Istanbul, after the Grand Bazaar. It usually opens on Sundays too and closes on religious holidays, but times change, so ask us to confirm before you plan a visit. It belongs to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Historic Areas of Istanbul.

Why It Is Called the Egyptian Bazaar

The Egyptian Bazaar

Its Turkish name, Mısır Çarşısı, means “Egyptian Bazaar”. Revenues from the Ottoman province of Egypt paid for it, while goods from Egypt and the East arrived here by ship. Since mısır also means “corn” in Turkish, some visitors are surprised to learn it was never a corn market.

A market to pay for a mosque

The bazaar belongs to the complex of the New Mosque. Turhan Hatice Sultan, the mother of Sultan Mehmed IV, commissioned it, and it was completed in 1660. The court architect Koca Kasım Ağa designed it, and the rents from its shops paid for the upkeep of the mosque next door. So every bag of spices sold here once helped keep a mosque running.

Inside the Spice Bazaar: What to Taste and Buy

The spice stalls

The classic sight is the spice displays: red pepper flakes from Urfa and Maraş, sumac, cumin, dried mint, saffron and colorful “sultan’s” tea blends. Taste before you buy, and ask where each spice comes from. Buy whole spices or freshly ground ones. Real saffron is expensive, and cheap red threads are often safflower.

Dried fruit, nuts and Turkish delight

Shops sell pistachios from Antep, hazelnuts from the Black Sea, dried apricots from Malatya and figs from the Aegean, together with Turkish delight in every flavor. Ask for vacuum packing if you are flying home.

Dried vegetables for dolma

Look also for strings of hollow dried aubergines and peppers hanging from the stalls. Cooks in Gaziantep and southeastern Türkiye stuff them with spiced rice in winter. So they make an unusual souvenir and a taste of real Turkish home cooking.

The New Mosque

Before or after shopping, step into the New Mosque next door. Despite its name, it is more than 350 years old. Its courtyard lies above the square, while inside, İznik tiles cover the walls.

The square in old photographs

An old colored photograph shows the same scene you see today: the New Mosque, the market square and boats crowding the shore. The boats are now ferries, but the energy of Eminönü has not changed. A few minutes’ walk east, in Sirkeci, Orientbank Hotel Istanbul keeps the copper dome and marble staircase of its century-old building. Close by, Neorion Hotel takes its name from the Byzantine harbor on this shore, and Régie Ottoman Hotel recalls the Ottoman tobacco company founded in 1883.

Outside the Gates: Where Istanbul Really Shops

The covered bazaar is only the beginning. On its west side, the open-air streets toward the Rüstem Pasha Mosque are where Istanbul households do their shopping: cheese and olive shops, cured meat, pastırma, coffee and kitchenware. Prices here are often lower than inside the bazaar. Our Istanbul hans tour ends here, after Büyük Yeni Han and Kürkçü Han.

How to Shop for Spices Without Regret

Most stalls will let you taste before you buy, so ask. Then buy small amounts, because ground spices lose their scent within months. Many shops will also vacuum-pack your bags for the flight home, which keeps the smell out of your suitcase.

Real saffron is expensive by nature, and the cheap red threads sold as “Turkish saffron” are usually safflower, a different plant with almost no taste. Similarly, for Turkish delight, the best is fresh and soft, not the dusty boxes stacked for tourists.

How to Visit the Spice Bazaar

Visiting the Spice Bazaar

• Hours: open most days, including Sundays, and closed on religious holidays. Times change, so ask us to confirm before you plan a visit.
• Getting there: the Eminönü tram stop and ferry piers are right outside.
• Time needed: 30 minutes to an hour, more with the surrounding streets.

Local tips for the Spice Bazaar

• Come in the morning, when the shops are setting out their sacks.
• Taste before you buy, and compare prices between a few shops.
• Ask for vacuum packing for spices and nuts if you are flying.
• Shop outside too, because the streets around the bazaar are where locals buy.
• Visit on Sunday if you want a bazaar when the Grand Bazaar is closed.
• Plan your shopping list with our guide to Turkish souvenirs, from lokum to spices.
• Cook what you buy: our Istanbul cooking class starts here with a shopping round for spices and dried fruit.

The Spice Bazaar is also the first stop of our Istanbul food tour, which continues by ferry to the market of Kadıköy.