Beyazit

Saturday morning, I decided I needed socks. Roshan suggested that we go to the market at Beyazit. By this, he actually meant the whole area stretching from the Egyptian Market, up the hill surrounding the Covered Bazaar, to the actual Beyazit area near the entrance of Istanbul University. Our shopping list consisted of socks, a pair of slippers and some apple tobacco for the narghile. We got off the bus at ever-crowded Eminönü and walked through the Egyptian Market, a nice little arch covered passage filled with the smells from the spice and tea shops. We bought some Turkish Delight. I had never tried it because it looked uncomfortably like Applets and Cotlets candy which I don't care for. They are pretty though: little sugar or coconut covered squares of shiny colored sugar/gelatine-substance with nuts or fruits mixed in. I tried a few squares and didn't really care for them. I am not sure if they taste like Applets and Cotlets because it has been so long since I've tasted that candy that I really don't remember what they are like.

Once out of the Egyptian Market we found ourselves joining a sea of slow moving bodies. The narrow street was completely packed. We headed in the less congested direction. Suddenly I smelled an incredible smell which I haven't smelled in 5 months. REALLY GOOD COFFEE BEANS. I frantically looked around. There was a shop full of coffee beans. I went up to the shop. My brain was screaming for a cup of coffee. As it was, they just sold the beans and didn't sell cups of coffee. We walked up the hill past stores and sales booths selling household goods, toys, clothing, stereo equipment and everything anyone could ever need. We reached a mosque with a courtyard full of antique and book salesmen. We sat in a tea garden where I had to settle for a pathetic cup of Nescafe. I remembered how in the bible there is a story about Jesus overturning all the tables of people selling stuff in the courtyard of a church. Many of the Islamic Mosques were actually built with an area for merchants to sell things. The Egyptian Market was built as part of a mosque. The proceeds of sales went to fund the mosque hospital. I decided I liked the arangement of the merchants and the tea garden in the shade of the mosque. It gave the area a relaxed social community feel.

After I finished my how-dare-anyone-consider-this-coffee, we walked through the book market. It was a stone passageway, shaded by trees and full of book, painting and calligraphy shops. Beyond this, was the Covered Market. I am a little frightened by this place. Although the architecture is beautiful and there are some nice shops, it is a bit too much like a combination between a labrynth and a shopping mall. I hate malls with a passion. My one comfort is that I can generally navigate my way out of them fairly easily. The Covered Market is different. Its streets wind in a nightmarish maze. I have images of myself getting lost in there and never finding my way out again... all the while, there would be all these people yelling, "Hey lady! Are you American? Come look at my lovely carpets!" Roshan said I might be able to find a pair of slippers in there. I said they would be expensive. I was right so we left. One day I will go into the Covered Market, photograph the architecture and look at all the Turkish crafts, cloth and carpets. However, I want to make sure I have a good map first.

Outside of the Covered Market, I found a sock salesman. Slippers were proving difficult. There was actually an entire street block which was full of slipper salesmen. However, the slippers didn't really seem very comfortable. Some had high heels. Most had thick stiff soles. We left this street and headed to the Beyazit field market. I'm not sure if we ever made it to the actual market. (It is hard to tell where a particular market begins when the whole region is a giant market.) In front of the Istanbul University, there was a large paved area. People were sitting on the ground with various items for sale. Roshan found the perfect pair of slippers. There was a little old lady sitting on a blanket with a couple pairs of slippers and some fur hats. The slippers were made of black suade and lined with fake fur. They looked very comfortable and were less than $5. The lady was so sage like sitting on her blanket with her bag of slippers next to her. She smiled and I smiled and everyone was happy with the purchase.