Shopping in Bodrum is a great pleasure! In the small old traditional houses and narrow streets of Bodrum between white walls of the typical stone buildings and friendly market sellers shopping in Bodrum is one of the joys that you must try.
The Turkish crafts make it impossible to resist buying something. The most popular objects for the holiday maker are of course Carpets, leather goods, copper and bronze wares, silver and gold jewellery, handicrafts and embroidery, and the famous Turkish meerschaum and onyx are on many peoples lists.
The heart of Bodrum is Iskele Meydani or Pier Square this is located near the castle and this is also good starting point for shopping, eating and dining. The old town, main shopping center for Bodrum start here. Every day of the week there are markets either in Bodrum itself or in one or other of the surrounding villages.
Bodrum’s Tuesday Textile Market is famous, with local fabrics from all over the region on sale. The riot of colours and patterns appealing to all tastes gives the marketplace a fairground atmosphere. As well as fabrics, there are kilims, Carpets, Kitchen ware, and clothing of all description.
Thursdays and Fridays are reserved for the food market, and it would be difficult to find such an extraordinary variety of fruit and vegetables anywhere else. Even the humble carrot comes in three or four varieties.
Shopping Ottoman Miniatures
To start with, whatever is offered to you as a miniature, even if it looks genuine and old – is not original. In fact there were only a few painters employed by the Sultans and all originals are well kept in the museums.
But as a distinctive decoration, it will still look nice. It is highly praise worthy that the old art of the miniature painting has again been taken up in the universities of fine arts and is taught in this country. Old book pages are nowadays used for painting on, in order to maintain the antique character.
A part of the page, where the picture has to be is covered first with opaque white. If you want to test the authenticity, hold the miniature up against the light and you will see the dark patck painted over the old text.
The Turkish tradition to illustrate manuscripts existed during the cultural period before the arrival of Islamic belief. About this have we a lot of information prepared for you. Just make a note in your Mail for Miniatures to us and we will send you detailed info.
Shopping Copperware
In Turkey there are still hand-made copper goods, of the type, which long ago – was made by the workman at the corner. You can still watch this being done in the environment of the closed Bazars in Istanbul. In addition, in near Bodrum there is such a copper village ‘or Bakirköy – as one says here’. The village is called Kavaklidere, and is approximatel about 100 km to the East of Bodrum near the city of Yatagan.
Shopping Leather
Products of the natural raw materials leather and cotton are traditionally sold in the shops of Turkey.
Shopping Textiles
Cotton is cultivated everywhere in Turkey, so that Turkey is in fact third biggest producer of cotton in the world. Travelling inland and passing Ephesus or Kaunos you will see many cotton fields. Pamuk is the Turkish word for cotton. The harvest is in September – October.
Shopping Meerschaum Pipes
Carving pipes out of the natural material meerschaum has a long tradition in Turkey. Already in Ottoman times these pipes were wellknown all over the world. Originally this special skill is based in the town of Eskisehir.
Shopping Waterpipe Nargile
Its a ceremony to smoke from the Nagile, the Turkish waterpipe. Tobacco, or better only the best leafes of tobacco are laid on the pipe and then topped with a piece of hot charcoal. The water in the pipe cools it down and absorbs the nicotine.
Shopping Nazar Boncuk
There is one typical item, an equity of this region you should take home as a souvenier, it’s called the Boncuk, the Little Magic Stone that protects one from the ‘Evil Eye’, you will see this blue glass piece everywhere here in this area.
Shopping Ceramics
This wonderful blue on plates and tiles you’ll find mainly on the ceramic articles from the central Turkish city Kütahya. Very often you will see samples that show the tulip motif, which dates from the time when this flower originating in Persia became known around the world.
Shopping Handmade Sandals
Skilled artisans can make you a pair of snugly fitting leather sandals in the traditional Aegean style. You will find craftsmen in the centre of Bodrum – like Ali Usta and others. You can either order or try one of the pairs they have in stock. Sandal making has an old tradition in Bodrum. More then thirty years ago out of a native interest in Roman sandals some ‘shoe – makers’ started the craft. Today these sandals, which can be considered as pieces of art, carrying old time history to modern people’s feet.