Arasta Bazaar

The Arasta Bazaar is the quieter, smaller sibling of the Grand Bazaar, tucked behind the Blue Mosque in Sultanahmet. It has about 40 shops along a single narrow lane under a tile-roofed arcade — textiles, ceramics, jewelry, kilims, and souvenirs. The atmosphere is a hundred times calmer than the Grand Bazaar across the way.

The bazaar was originally built in the 17th century as the Sipahiler Çarşısı — the market for the Sipahi cavalry of the Blue Mosque complex. It was used for Ottoman stables for much of its life, then rebuilt after a fire in the 1980s, when the first modern shops opened. The rents from the modern bazaar now help fund the Blue Mosque's maintenance.

Most shops have fixed prices (a relief after Grand Bazaar haggling), and the items are somewhat tourist-oriented (less antique, more reproduction İznik tile and kilim). The quality of the textile shops is high, though, and it's a much more pleasant browsing experience than the Grand Bazaar.

Most shops are open 09:00-21:00 daily, including Sundays (uncommon for Istanbul bazaars). The lane sits behind the Blue Mosque's southeastern garden wall, accessible from Kabasakal Caddesi or through the Blue Mosque garden.