I have to say the owner of this ceramic store Menderes makes my trip to Istanbul more than perfect…read more I was attracted by the design and the title of the store when we walked on the street. I myself made ceramic, therefore I want to know what Turkish ceramic is alike. At first, I am honestly not a fan of that colorful decoration since I am so into Japanese wabi-sari simplistic style; however, after staying in the store for half an hour, I cannot stop looking at those amazing works. This is truly the art of colors and cultures. We talked about different ceramic-making processes and techniques and how to stick with our passion for art when we face the problem of making a living. Menderes is like my older brother and my friend. I enjoy every minute talking with him. Also, thanks to him, we visited the small cistern beside the store which is amazing. On the last day of my Istanbul trip, we went back to the store and talked for a long time. I even cried for their sincerity and some other reasons I cannot identify (which happened to me quite often). I just don't want to leave this old city and people I met here. Hope everyone can enjoy the time with Menderes and his brother in their small ceramic world.

We stumbled into this shop because they had a nice cat inside and there was no aggressive bulky…read moreoutside insisting we go in. Two parts, we got a smaller Turkish mosaic lamp that may or may not make it back packed in bubble wrap and clothes, and a little rug for one of our cats, and a pillow case for our cat sitter, and a scarf for a Philosopher friend. In the ceramics part of the shop we got some pretty bowls which also might not survive the ride in luggage but they did wrap them up well and they are embedded in clothes and yarn. The Chief of Staff is in to knitting and bought yarn in Turkiye, which makes for good packing. None of this was expensive and the attempts to upset weren't overbearing.

Iznik Works has a great selection of high quality Iznik ceramics, tiles and pottery. Located in the…read moreGrand Bazaar, the owners Ismail and Hasan are extremely friendly and knowledgable about the history of Iznik ceramics and have a better selection than I found on a my own journey to the famous pottery-making city. The prices and good and the hospitality is wonderful. After a day of shopping in the Bazaar with its hectic pace and high pressure sales tactics, it was a pleasure to find this gem of a shop and the beautiful things they sell!

Iznik works has stunning ceramics. The owner. Ismail, makes the shopping experience truly…read morememorable. This was our favorite shop in the grand bazaar and one of the best experiences of Istanbul.

This bazar was not as big as the grand bazar but it was very fun with some cool businesses. I went…read morethere multiple times for shopping and I enjoyed the vibe of it. If you find any opportunities, visiting this place is recommended! :)

Much preferable to the Grand Bazaar, it's smaller with less aggressive sales people. Near the Blue…read moreMosque, and like a couple of other Yelpers, we found a nice shop to get scarves. You should still visit the Grand Bazaar and Spice-Egyptian Bazaars for the tourism, but for more enjoyable shopping come here. It's also near the mosaic museum which I'm not sure is worth your time but I mention this for orientation purposes. You can meet some nice cats here.