The Most Aromatic
There are many markets in Istanbul, but the most fragrant and aromatic is the Egyptian Market. It is located in the city center, opposite the Galata Bridge in Uskudar, where merchant ships carrying spices from India via Egypt once unloaded. In those days, cinnamon and cumin were sold for their weight in gold, and the stalls of coffee grinders, then unknown, gave the bazaar its special character.
The Egyptian Bazaar is called "Mısır Çarşısı" in Turkish, meaning "Spice Market". For several centuries, the aromas of saffron and mint, thyme and nutmeg, cloves and cardamom have lingered under its mighty arches. Here rise mountains of dried fruits and sweets; everywhere stand sacks of something loose and bitter, and herbs and grains are laid out on the counters. But not only spices are sold at the Egyptian Market. There are incense in miniature bottles: floral oils, ambergris, patchouli, natural Turkish soap known since the Middle Ages, and the gentlest bath loofahs made of natural fibers — a huge aromatherapy salon. After spending half an hour at the bazaar and soaking in the fragrant aromas, you will smell delightful for the rest of the day.
Along the outer walls are lined shops, stalls and trays, attracting those who came for spices. In the center of the bazaar is the Bird Market with budgerigars, canaries, and chiffchaffs. And beyond the walls of the Egyptian Market — live fish, fresh fruits and vegetables, pastirma, cheeses, jams, and Turkish delight. Juicy, sweet and insanely tasty pomegranates at a dollar per kilo, fifteen varieties of olives, roasted chestnuts resembling sweet baked potatoes — the very sight whets a ravenous appetite.
You can have a snack right at the market — at one of the cheap eateries that Istanbulites call "lokantas". They serve what Turks themselves eat, not what is designed for tourists. The atmosphere in the restaurant is simple, because in Turkey people eat rather than admire the interior. The dishes are displayed behind a glass counter; choosing is not difficult — just point at dolma, güveç or pilaf. The average cost of a good lunch with a glass of beer is about $5.
The Egyptian Bazaar (Misir Carsisi) is located in the center of Istanbul and overlooks the Golden Horn. You can get there by tram, stop Eminonu. Open Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 19:00, Saturday from 8:00 to 14:00.
The Most Antique
In the heart of Notting Hill, in a neighborhood of quiet streets lined with luxurious mansions, is Portobello Market, the most famous antique market in London. At the beginning of the last century, Gypsies were in charge here, bringing horses for sale at the nearby racetrack, and over time ordinary Londoners began to trade household goods and antiques here. Today, famous writers, designers and musicians live in Notting Hill, and Portobello Market has become a cult place for antique collectors from all over the world.
The busiest trade takes place on Saturday morning, when the street with market stalls is filled with a flow of tourists. However, the number of traders and the breadth of assortment largely depend on the weather. On a rainy day, when there are few buyers, prices drop sharply. In antique shops and small stores with big discounts, old photographs and paintings, silver candlesticks and diamonds, wind-up toys and ancient coins are sold. A collector can find a decent porcelain dinner set, a silver item, a mahogany chest of drawers, or a figurine made by the Papuans of New Guinea.
There are many stories about people who were lucky to sell for crazy money items bought cheaply. A small figurine lying in a cardboard box along with a bent iron kettle and utterly useless junk was purchased at Portobello Market for 50 pounds, and six months later sold for 3 million euros. The figurine turned out to be a work by a Renaissance master who taught Leonardo da Vinci.
London's Portobello Market is located near the metro station Netting HiH Gate. Open Saturday from 8:00 to 16:00.
The Most Exotic
Anjuna Beach in the Indian resort of Goa is called "alternative". Here gather followers of Osho and Sai Baba, lovers of occultism and esotericism, practitioners of yoga and feng shui. On Wednesdays, a fair unfolds on a huge field near the beach — the most colorful and exotic in the world.
Colorful pareo skirts, woven mats and homespun blankets flutter among the palms. Dark-skinned women in bright skirts and nose rings lay out Gujarati items on the ground — harem pants, vests and skullcaps decorated with coins, shells and pieces of mirrors. Imperturbable Tibetans sell jewelry, any piece for $5: a ring with a moonstone, earrings with turquoise, a bracelet with cubic zirconia. Aging hippies with thinning hair "push" handmade bead bracelets and hookahs for smoking "weed". Right there is a used motorcycle market. For just three hundred "greenbacks" you can become the owner of a battered "Harley" with a dented tank and chrome parts that have retained their mirror shine.
On Wednesdays, all of India comes to Anjuna. A teenage girl walks along a tightrope with a pyramid of clay bowls on her head, and a fire blazes in the very top one. A painted half-naked boy performs the dance of the monkey king Hanuman for ten rupees. The owner of a sacred cow in a red turban draws long sounds from his worn-out pipe. To amuse the crowd, a vagabond self-torturer pierces his cheek with an awl and threads a red string through the hole. You can also see an elephant here. Its sides are painted with ornaments, a bell dangles on its leg, and a worn velvet seat is fixed on its back. They say that in one day, thanks to people wanting to have their photo taken on top, its owner pockets up to a hundred and fifty dollars — crazy money for India.
From any beach in the Indian resort of Goa, the easiest way to get to the Flea Market in Anjuna is by auto-rickshaw. The fair is open on Wednesdays from 8:00 to 18:00.
The Fishiest
Just below the lively Ripperbahn street, on the very edge of Hamburg's port, lies the fish market Fischmarkt. Since it opened in 1703, the city elders allowed trading only from 6 to 10 in the morning - before the start of church service. This tradition has survived to this day. Late at night, pallets of seafood are unloaded from the snow-covered freezers of fishing vessels, and the first buyers appear before dawn.
Fischmarkt is a picturesque sight. The building of the former fish auction - a structure of steel and red brick with a glazed dome - resembles a huge church. Inside, there are two-tiered racks where containers were once stored. Fish is no longer sold there, but after the cold piercing wind, you can have a mug of mulled wine or a small glass of hot punch. Everything here has been preserved just as it was a hundred years ago: marble tables, ceramic jugs, and an accordionist at the entrance.
On the pier, in wooden boxes filled with ice, sea bass and flounder, smelt and herring for frying are laid out - everyone knows that in Germany they eat fried herring. On the long counters rise mountains of shellfish and arthropods with signs reading “fruits de mer” - “fruits of the sea”. This product is in demand among the French, while Germans prefer krebse - large crabs that are caught in the North Sea and cost two euros apiece.
The market is full of rituals, customs, and traditions. It is worth strolling here to take part in the performance that unfolds near the long market rows. Every vendor advertises their goods as the rarest and most unusual. “Here's salmon, tender salmon! Where else will you find such? I'll let it go cheap, and I'll throw in another one!” - bellows a vendor in a boatswain's cap with a pipe in his teeth. “Seven eels for 10 euros. They're still crawling and hissing. Plus - sole and one and a half pike perch. An exceptional discount!” - a rosy-cheeked, buxom blonde beckons customers.
When heading to Hamburg's Fischmarkt, keep in mind: nowadays they sell not only fish, but also flowers, chocolate, pets, and fruits. “Who wants tangerines?” - shouts a young vendor, adding a small melon, a bunch of bananas, and a cluster of grapes to a basket of orange fruits. The price remains the same - 15 euros. Can you understand people who give their goods away almost for free?
The fish market in Hamburg (Fischmarkt) is located in the port, at the very end of Ripperbahn street. Open on Sundays from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
The Biggest
The largest flea market in the world is the Parisian Saint-Ouen. 17 km of aisles, 2,000 stalls, and 40 restaurants - in essence, a small town. Each “district” of this “town” specializes in its own thing - dishes, furniture, leather, garden sculptures, old electronics. Where do the items at the Saint-Ouen market come from? The answer is simple. France easily survived the wars and upheavals of the last century; here they did not heat stoves with ancient folios or demolish residential neighborhoods.
Inheriting a house from a deceased aunt, a Frenchman clears the attic of old junk and gives away all the stuff for next to nothing, wholesale. Antique dealers throw away most of the junk, and resell the rest. There is even a special verb chiner, denoting the process of hunting for interesting things among junk.
All approaches to the market are occupied by Chinese sellers of “exotic” goods, clothing traders, and vendors of fake “Rolexes”. You shouldn't linger here, because the same thing can be seen at our markets. It is far more interesting to walk through the inner corridors, where you can find nostalgic objects of a vanished way of life - from a miniature Eiffel Tower to a faience bathtub on lion's feet. An oak carved wardrobe sits next to a prehistoric sewing machine, cast-iron irons - with perfume bottles, cloth dolls - with wooden horses, yellowed “Mickey Mouse” magazines - with beaded handbags.
If you are looking for a valuable item, turn to an expert who will inspect the goods with a practiced eye and will bargain with the seller until they concede as much as possible. For such a service, you should give the specialist 10% of the amount you ultimately pay. But the commission is more than compensated by the discount the expert obtains for the buyer. American wholesalers often seek the help of experts - they fill entire containers with items and then resell them to stores in New York and Los Angeles that deal in antiques.
The Parisian market Saint-Ouen is located near the Porte de Clignancourt station (the northern terminus of the 4th metro line). Open on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The Easternmost
In the city of Tunis, in the center of the ancient Arab medina, around the ancient fortress gates of Bab-el-Jid, the souk market bustles - the most famous in the entire Maghreb. Today, as many years ago, along the narrow streets that spread in different directions, rows of small shops stretch, and on the ground floors of low houses there are craft workshops.
In Tunisia there are many bazaars, and each specializes in its own thing. The city of Nabeul is famous for blue ceramics, Matmata for sheepskins, Bizerte for filigree and incense, Tozeur for fragrant dates, Sousse for leather and copper. In the Tunisian capital you can find all of this at once, and also dig up a lot of interesting things. But the main thing is not even the souvenirs, but the unique and colorful atmosphere of an oriental bazaar, in the bustle of which you encounter characters as if from the pages of the tales of “1001 Nights”.
A loudspeaker carries the drawn-out call of the muezzin. Aromas of sticky Turkish delight, pungent spices, and leather goods waft through the air. The Tunisian bazaar lays out all the riches of the East for the passerby: fruits and flowers, colorful fabrics and silver jewelry, hookahs and teapots, keffiyeh scarves and shoes a la Khoja Nasreddin. But don't waste time on trifles - it's better to make one real purchase. Walk along the long row of carpets, pick out a fine small rug or an embroidered runner. Make sure that a label with a metal seal is sewn on the back, confirming that the carpet was made in Kairouan and has the required density and the correct number of knots. A genuine Kairouan carpet will remind you for many years of the wonderful country of Tunisia and its main city of the same name.
To get to the Tunisian bazaar (Souk), you need to enter the Porte de France gate, which separates the new city from the medieval medina, and walk up to the Great Mosque along Jamaa ez-Zitouna Street. The souk is open from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily.