What Souvenirs to Buy from Turkey - Top 10

It is known that Turkiye is a gem for shopping enthusiasts especially compared to many European, Arabic countries and USA. It always attracted the attention of people with its texture and oriental side that it tries to preserve. If you intend to return home, yourself or your family from Turkiye with a gift, we have prepared a list for you.

1- Ceramics: From tiny bowls to pieces adorning palaces, ceramics have always been precious elements of the Ottoman Empire. If you like wall decorations, you can buy tile paintings or plates. Or small bowls to decorate your tables will be nice gifts for you and your close social circle. You can use small bowls for snacks or to throw fruit seeds, but please be sure they are food safe. Recommended: - Ozlem Tuna: https://www.ozlemtuna.com/ - Iznik Works: http://www.iznikworks.com/

2- Towels / Soaps: Even as Turkish people, one of the items we love to shop and spend money on is bathroom necessities. This soap habit, which comes from the bath culture, has spread too much that even it’s in our veins. Imagine that we don't feel cleansed without soap. As for towels, Turkey is a paradise especially for cotton, linen and silk lovers. It is also very nice that the towel culture changes shape day by day. Nowadays you can buy stylish towels and use them both at home and on the beach. Even some designers started to produce thin towels so that you can use them as shawls. After all, if the product is of good quality, why not? Recommended: Lonca: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LoncaNaturalProducts

3- Clothes: This is a title that will cause you to bring your luggage empty. If it is not your first visit to Turkiye and if you are a person who spends for fashion such as clothing, shoes and accessories, you can make a serious purchase in Turkiye - especially if you come across the sale season. Turkey is the world's 6th largest exporter in the clothing industry. If you are interested, you will like the various shopping malls and some shops in the shopping areas. Recommended: - ViaPort Mall: If your flight is over Sabiha Gokcen airport, aka SAW, you can spare time for this outlet mall. - Bakirkoy district: You will like it both with Capacity and Carousel shopping malls and various boutique clothing shops in the region. - Forum Istanbul mall: It is an ideal mall especially for families with children. It provides shopping opportunities as well as various activities. - Mall of Istanbul: If its ok for you to go far enough to get out of the city, you will come across with a really huge shopping mall. Especially the discount periods offer the best prices in the city. - Istinye Park: Shopping mall where high-end brands come together. Even better, you won't be able to decide which to choose from the delicious restaurants. - Kadikoy: In Kadikoy, the center of the food experience, the crossing road on the Asian continent, you will not realize how time flies while you visit various boutique clothing shops. - Nisantasi: Heaven for Haute Couture lovers. While visiting high-end brands, do not forget to stop by local designer shops and sip your wine or coffee in corner cafes.

4- Kilim: Not decades, not hundreds, Kilim has been a part of Turkish culture for more than a thousand year and it is changing its shape with the rapid flow of our lives day by day. While it's getting harder to buy carpets for our homes, if you still want a real piece of Turkic culture, you can look at “kilim”s. It is much easier to carry, easy to wash, modernizable in oriental way, and they are perfect for home decoration. Recommended: - Dhoku Rugs: http://www.dhoku.com/ - Vezirhan Carpet: http://www.vezirhancarpet.com/

5- Tea Glasses: I was quite surprised when I heard it 12 years ago; In America, 1 cent tea glasses of our simple tea houses are sold as whiskey glasses! Actually, why not, we Turks also like to drink raki in a tea glass. But it's a culture. As one of the world's largest exporter of tea and one of the countries that consume the tea most, you cannot show a house without a Turkish tea glass. From student houses to the most luxurious residences, there will be a tea glass set in that house. Recommended: So where will you get it? If you want something designed, you can look at Spice Bazaar, Grand Bazaar. But remember, you should pay attention to whether the patterns are of good quality. Otherwise, they will be erased in the first wash. Or believe me, tea cup sets can be found much more affordable in supermarkets or Madame Coco stores. If you like design, we love Pasabahce. Almost every restaurant has an equipment from Pasabahce stores.

6- Jewellery: What we will do with our fondness for jewellery? From Byzantine women to the Ottoman Harem, jewelery has appeared at all times and in every status. Today, the fastest market in the Grand Bazaar is jewelry and stone. Or high-end brands and designers can't complete even a minimalist line without jewellery. When you arrive in Turkey, you may encounter a variety of possibilities that may confuse you. Therefore, it is best to determine your own style in advance and research the designs and designers that you think will suit you best. Especially if you want to return with a special local one, a color-changing stone called sultanite in the shape of a ring or a pair of earrings can come home with you.

7- Pashmina/ Shawl: If there's one thing that should be in every lady's or gentleman's home, necessary or not, it's definitely the shawl. We all need a quality shawl to wrap around the neck, to use in religious site visits, and to wear it as a part of fashion. I can give a little hint; We Turks do not use the shatush fabric shawls sold in touristic areas. The name and feature of the product are too high to spend in daily use, and the price performance is not balanced. Instead, you can opt for a high-quality silk shawl. You will have acquired a piece that will last a lifetime and that you can use both summer and winter.

8- Supermarket Shopping: Visiting the supermarket while traveling is another name for a serious relationship, for us! Of course, supermarkets are a great source to measure the economy or purchasing power of the country, but when we are in, we can go out with a basket of chocolates. So what can you buy from supermarkets in Turkey? The places where you will find the most affordable Turkish tea / coffee cups are the supermarkets. You can find the products of local wine producers and local alcohol "raki" here. You can buy local chocolates for your friends; Be sure you are buying the chocolates and wafers of local companies like Mabel, Ulker, Eti. Or if you can carry Caykur Tea and Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi Turkish Coffee should be in your bag. As a product that is never imported, stop by the stand where there are snacks such as hazelnuts and pistachios. If you are a wine lover, you can stop by the cheese aisle, because there you will find "eski kasar" cheese to accompany red wine, or "white ezine cheese" to accompany raki, and you can definitely try "tulum" cheese. Tahini and grape molasses (Tahin-pekmez), a flavor that makes vegans very happy too, deserves to go to your home. And if there's one thing our mothers don't return without buying, it's salted sunflower seeds. Recommended markets: - Carrefour Supermarkets - Macro Center markets - Bim - Sok - Migros

9- Lanterns: Lamps are a product we are tired of seeing in touristic areas. But I must admit with shame that when you find the color that complements you, it adds a magnificent atmosphere to your home. You can find countless options in the Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar, and Galata areas. To keep in mind, the price of a single, average quality table lamp style lamp is around 500 TL at most today (March 2023).

10- Art Pieces: If there is a work of art that is most deeply rooted in Turkish culture, it is "minyatur" paintings. Pictures made on old or historical old Turkish/Ottoman papers were formerly colored with gold. Today you can find magnificent modernized examples. You can also place the classics in a stylish frame, but we recommend completing the frame work at home. The art of marbling, also called Ebru, began to blend with miniature drawings. In addition, there is no need to mention the countless and successful Turkish artists who are increasing day by day. A little tip for you is in the recommended section just below. Please, if you happen to pass by this tower of over 1000 years in the Grand Bazaar, share our greetings and the secret doors will be opened for you. Recommended: - Eirene Tower: https://www.eirenetower.com/ Would you like us to join you at shopping or you need a consultancy? DM us, reach best price/performance products. Click here. Sanem Yucesoy foodandfashionmag@gmail.com