Spice Bazaar Istanbul (Egyptian Bazaar)

Spice Bazaar

Spice Bazaar, also known as Egyptian Spice Bazaar located in Istanbul Eminönü, has been in service since 1660. It has a popular place among the oldest bazaars of Istanbul. This historical building is one of the first destinations of tourists coming to Turkey. Besides colorful spices, local clothes, nuts , flowers, seeds and coffee.

Spice Bazaar also offers nice photos for tourists.Spice Bazaar is one of the places you can enter and visit to taste that atmosphere even if you do not need to buy something during your Eminonu tour. The Egyptian Bazaar and it’s surroundings, which testify to the history of Istanbul, are among the rare beauties you should take time if you haven’t yet.

Spice Bazaar Features

The Spice Bazaar, near the Flower Market and behind Yeni Mosque in Eminönü, was built in 1660 by Turhan Sultan. This historical building that was built by Kazım Ağa and restored by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality between 1940 and 1943. If you wonder which sultan was built the Spice Bazaar, we can say that the construction of the building started with the instruction of Safiye Sultan, the wife of Murat the 3rd.

However, after Safiye Sultan sat in the old palace after the death of Mehmet III, the construction could not be completed. Upon this, the mother of Mehmet the 4th, Hatice Turhan decides to build a mosque and asks for a bazaar in the complex. Thus, Yeni Mosque and Spice Bazaar, where Mustafa Ağa was the architect, came to this day.

In the place where the bazaar was located, there was a covered bazaar called Makron Emvolos. When this bazaar was built in the district where the Jews reside, the Jews were transferred to Balat.

Spice Bazaar was called Yeni Bazaar (New Bazaar) and Valide Bazaar in the 17th century.

Since most of the goods sold in the bazaar are products and spices from Egypt, it started to be called the Egyptian Bazaar after the middle of the 18th century. The bazaar, which has had two great fires in history and has reached its present day with all its repairs, was built in the form of L in classical Ottoman style.

The bazaar has 6 doors, 4 large and 2 small. Today, some of the main shops in the bazaar include Ramazan Canbaz, Arifoglu Spice, Gulluoglu and Hazer Baba.

Do you wonder if is Egyptian Bazaar and Grand Bazaar the same? We can tell you that they are both different places.

What’s in the Spice Bazaar?

There are spice stores, shops selling aromatic, herbal and essential oils, dry eaters, jewelers, and tourist shops in the Spice Bazaar. Authentic looking colorful glass chandeliers, pompom palace slippers, embroidered touristic and folkloric clothes, silver jewelery, ceramics, tile plates, tribes, cups, hookahs, weavings, ornate living room pillows, carpets and saddles in the Egyptian Bazaar, which is a very large area. You can find many things including.

In addition, you can find lime, ginger, licorice, chamomile, sage, cinnamon and apple peel blended herbal teas, rare oils, dried herbs, flowers, roots, shells.

Places to Visit Around Spice Bazaar

If you go to the historical Spice Bazaar, there are places you can visit in very close surroundings. Yeni Mosque, which is as historic as the Flower Market and the Spice Bazaar, ranks first among these places. In addition, the Balkapani, where the honeys from various places are collected from the Ottoman period, is located in Hasırcılar Street, just behind the bazaar.

Balkapani, which is made in the classical caravanserai type and has a courtyard in the middle, is one of the places that may be of interest to you. If you leave the side door of the Spice Bazaar, do not forget to buy coffee from Kuru Kahveci Mehmet Efendi, and Nuri Toplar which is also close to Hasırcılar Street. What you should not forget is to take your camera with you while visiting the historical places that lived from the Ottoman to the Republican Period.

Is Spice Bazaar Open On Sunday?

You can visit the Spice Bazaar every day of the week. It which was closed on Sundays in the past. However, the time intervals that are open vary according to the days.

Spice Bazaar opening hours

Weekdays: 08.00-19.30

Saturdays: 08.00-20.00

Sundays: 09.30-19.00

The Spice Bazaar is closed on all islamic religious holidays and October 29 Republic Day.

Where is the Spice Bazaar?

Address: Rüstem Paşa Mahallesi Spice Bazaar No: 92

Eminönü – Fatih / Istanbul Turkey

How to go to the Spice Bazaar?

Tram: You can go on foot after getting off at Eminönü stop by using the Bağcılar-Kabataş tram line to reach the Spice Bazaar, located right next to the Flower Market in Eminönü.

Ferry: You can arrive in Eminönü by using boats and engines from Üsküdar, Kadıköy and Bostancı.

Bus: 37 E Yıldıztabya-Eminönü, EM 1 and EM 2 Eminönü-Kulaksız, 38 E Gaziosmanpaşa State Hospital-Eminönü, 36 KE Karadeniz Mahallesi-Eminönü line numbered IETT buses to reach the Spice Bazaar.

For more info, visit Spice Bazaar Wikipedia Page