The Spice Bazaar (Mısır Çarşısı) in Istanbul is one of the largest bazaars in Turkey. It is the most famous covered shopping complex after the Grand Bazaar in the Eminönü district of Fatih district.

There are many documents showing that the name of the bazaar was "Yeni Çarşı" first. It was named Spice Bazaar because it was built in 1660 with revenues from the Ottoman province of Egypt. The word Egypt has a double meaning in Turkish. One of them is the country name we know "Egypt" and the other meaning is "corn".

That is why its name is sometimes incorrectly translated as "Spice Bazaar". The bazaar still is the center of the spice trade in Istanbul, but in recent years other types of shops have been gradually replacing spice vendors. The building itself is part of the Yeni Cami complex.

The income obtained from the rental shops in the bazaar was used for the maintenance of the mosque. There are totally 85 shops in the Bazaar selling spices, Turkish delight and other sweets, jewelry, souvenirs, dried fruits and nuts.

You should definitely take a visit if you are in Istanbul. By the way be sure to visit the Spice Bazaar, which is more colorful and livelier than ever during Ramadan. Many different spices from various regions of Turkey and other Eastern countries are sold here. Mystical fragrances and exotic aromas of various spices.

Here, the attractive scents of cumin, mint, cinnamon and countless other herbs and spices create a wonderful ambiance. The bazaar is the best place to visit if you want to bring traditional sweets or confectionery to your home.

This grand covered bazaar delights eyes and nose with a wide variety of dried fruits, many teas, freshly ground Turkish coffee and of course the famous Turkish delight.