Audio GuideEgyptian Bazaar

Step inside the Mısır Çarşısı, known in English as the Egyptian or Spice Bazaar, and you’ll enter a world alive with colors, scents, and centuries of history. Nestled in Eminönü, just behind the grand New Mosque and beside the vibrant Flower Market, this covered market has welcomed visitors for nearly four centuries.

Mısır Çarşısı, Eminönü

Built in the sixteen sixties, following a massive city fire, Mısır Çarşısı was designed by prominent architects of the Ottoman court. Commissioned by Sultana Turhan Hatice, part of its construction funds came from taxes collected in Egypt. In Turkish, “mısır” means both Egypt and maize, which helped inspire stories and the bazaar’s distinctive name.

Gerardo

The L-shaped building forms part of a larger complex. With six impressive gates, including the historic Haseki Gate, the bazaar’s high arched ceilings and stone corridors offer shelter from sun and rain, filled with the hum of daily life. In earlier centuries, a court on the upper floor resolved disputes among merchants and customers.

Ameen Al-Hashem

Long ago, traders sailed from distant lands to stock Mısır Çarşısı’s stalls with rare spices, herbs, and medicinal roots. Many of those traditions linger today. You’ll find mountains of spices, teas, dried fruits, Turkish delight, nuts, and cheeses—all displayed in bright heaps that fill the air with fragrance. Jewelry, souvenirs, and textiles add to the allure, drawing locals and travelers alike.

Karl-Heinz Ambos

Mısır Çarşısı is less sprawling than the Grand Bazaar, yet it pulses with its own unique energy, shaped by events like two devastating fires and careful restoration work by the city in the nineteen forties. This preservation has kept its original spirit alive, even as its merchandise evolves.

Whether you come for gifts or just to experience one of Istanbul’s oldest traditions, Mısır Çarşısı offers an unforgettable taste—quite literally—of the city’s past and present.