Spices, Tea and Turkish Delight at the Spice Market in Istanbul

The Spice Market in Istanbul really is a treat for the senses. I’ve heard people use that term before but as we strolled in to the market today I came to fully realise what people meant when they said it.

You can tell the spice market is going to be busy just by standing out the front of it. People are gathered everywhere; pushing, shoving or just plain standing there. As we pushed our way to the entrance, we took a deep breath and let the journey begin…

Everywhere you turned in this narrow market all you could see where the bright colors of every spice you can imagine and every variation of Turkish delight that I never knew or thought could exist. Every time you breathed in there was a new smell; whether it was the sweet smell of tea leaves or the fragrance of the spice. Everyday smells also mixed with the extraordinary, leaving you guessing, wondering and looking around constantly. Every single person seemed in a rush to get to wherever it was they needed to go and this added to the atmosphere as you felt you were truly trading with the locals.

The colours and smells of the spices were amazing and it was great to see locals picking out their favourites to use at home as we watched along.

As a lover of tea it was amazing to see how many varieties there were in the one place all available for pretty cheap prices!

Not trying some Turkish Delight in Turkey would be like not eating Vegemite in Australia (or not even close) and even though the vendors were happy to let us taste their wonderful treats, we couldn’t resist buying some cherry and chocolate flavored delights!

In the end, the Spice Market was an amazing place to visit and definitely a must when you head to Istanbul. You would be crazy to miss it!