A List of Best Things to Buy from Turkey
What are the top Turkish products, items to buy from Turkey and shop online? The best gifts and crafts to buy from Turkey? A short guide for shoppers…
You want to find and buy the best Turkish items?
Here is a list of best things to buy from Turkey. Covering the top Turkish made products, and the Turkish items to buy online and from traditional stores.
Turkey is a very good place to buy:
- Clothing
- Shoes & Bags
- Leather Goods
- Rugs
- Furniture
- Turkish Coffee
- Turkish Delight
- Turkish Coffee Pots
- Turkish Coffee Machines
- Turkish Tea
Shopping Turkish souvenirs is also a very good idea especially for a gift to your loved ones.
Almost all people visiting Turkey are going back to their countries with souvenirs among traditional arts and crafts created in Anatolia.
Here we will give you some information about which souvenirs & crafts should be considered more Turkish and worth discovery and worth buying from souvenir and handicrafts shops in Istanbul, in other cities and online.
- Turkish Kilims & Rugs
- Turkish Ceramics & Tiles
- Turkish Lamps
- Handmade Items
- Turkish Towels
- Backgammon Sets
- Handmade Copperware, Copper Tea Pots
- Rummikub Sets
- Turkish Yemeni Shoes
- and more to discover…
Things to Buy From Turkey / Souvenirs & Gifts
Clothing
When shopping from Turkey, the first thing comes to most people’s minds is Clothing.
It can be any kind of clothes, including even lingerie, and homewear.
You can buy quality clothes at really affordable costs.
Shoes
Turkey offers very good selection of shoes at great prices.
See the top Turkish shoes brands here.
Furniture
Turkey has a large furniture making industry. Some furniture brands are very famous and have hundreds of store around Turkey.
Turkish furniture brands can be found in many countries like USA, and most European countries.
- Modern Furniture
- Classical Furniture
- Home Furniture
- Office Furniture
- Turkish Sofas & Sofa Sets
- Luxury Furniture
Turkish Kilim Rugs & Machine Made Carpets
Turkey is the biggest manufacturer and exporter of carpets in the World. Turkish carpet manufacturers export their products to more than 160 countries in the World. The top importing countries for Turkish made carpets are USA, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Iraq, UK, Libya, and Egypt.
Kilim is the general name given to lint-free weaving mats other than carpets.
Kilim Rugs, one of the oldest items that have survived from the past to the present, are considered as one of the oldest crafts and arts in the history of humanity, as well as being cultural ambassadors.
Kilims are one of the most valuable weaving types with their weaving features belonging to the old period and the new period.
Kilim models are quite thin compared to carpets.
The rugs, which emerged as a result of people’s search for a comfortable and warm floor, were woven by the Turks for the first time in history.
What is Kilim?
The lint-free hand-weaving made of wool woven according to the two-thread system is called kilim.
You can learn more about Turkish kilim rugs and also shop kilims here..
There are many styles of Kilims especially known for their production places or motifs in Turkey.
Kilims may be antique which are the most expensive ones, vintage or modern types. Some types are:
- Vintage Rugs
- Vintage Kilims
- Overdyed Rugs
- Patchwork Vintage Rugs
- New Kilims
- Runner Rugs
- New Hand-Knotted Rugs
- Antique Kilims
- Oversized Vintage Rugs
- Tulu Rugs
Where you can buy Turkish Kilim Rugs:
- Grand Bazaar in Istanbul
- Arapgir Kilim – Fatih Istanbul
- Hazal Kilim Besiktas Istanbul
- Kilim.com Online – Ortakoy Istanbul
- 5K Rug Store – Fatih Istanbul
- Noah’s Ark Kilim Store – Fatih Istanbul
Turkish Kilim Shoes & Bags (Great Gifts for Her)
Making of kilim shoes, loafers, slippers and bags is being continued by not many craftmans and workshops in Turkey.
Buying a pair of Turkish Kilim Shoes or a handmade Turkish handbag as a gift for her is always a good idea.
You can find some cheaper ones since they were made of different materials with kilim designs, or of newly made kilim rugs.
However, try to get some made from vintage or anrique Turkish kilims by expert artisans. This will be really a great gift for your loved one.
The Turkish craft kilim shoes and kilim bags offers you uniqueness since each pair of shoes or each bag or clutch cannot be the same with another one.
Even each one of a pair of vintage kilim shoes are diffrerent due to the fact that they are being handmade by using different parts of the same kilim.
If you are looking for a unique piece of art in fashion these could be your choice.
Where you can buy Turkish Kilim Shoes & Bags:
We have listed some shops where you can find genuine kilim shoes, slippers and bags.
- Kilim Arts in Fatih Istanbul
- Thelooparts in Izmir
- Yunart in fatih Istanbul
Turkish Jewelry Telkari (Filigree) as a Gift
Telkari (Filigree) is a handicraft made by knitting or embroidering gold or silver into fine wire. It is a jewelry made by knitting silver or gold into thin wires.
Telkari is the art of ornamenting silver by hand.
In Turkey, it is mostly done in Midyat district of Mardin and Beypazarı district of Ankara today.
You can buy them also online and we are sure it is a nice idea for gifts.
This decorative art was brought to Beypazarı by the Ahi community.
There are more than 100 small workshops dealing with this craft in Beypazari for the last 40-50 years.
Filigree is an art that requires patience and delicacy, which is a pure handicraft.
Masters create a work of art by melting and processing the silver metal in a crucible, connecting two or more thin wires and shaping them.
Also Turkish Jewelry is one of the top Turkish Souvenirs to buy when going back to your country.
Where you can buy Turkish Telkari Jewelry:
We have listed some shops where you can find some best Telkari jewelry handicrafts..
- Sumer Telkari – Midyat Mardin
- Midyat Silver – Midyat Mardin
- Telkari Sarayi – Midyat Mardin
- Ahi Silver – Beypazari Ankara
- Mutlu Silver – Beypazari Ankara
- Artuklu Telkari – Fatih Istanbul
Mardin is a very beautiful and historical city in South East of Turkey where you will find many workshops and stores for Telkari Turkish Jewelry in Midyat of Mardin.
Turkish Ceramics / Iznik Tiles Nice Gifts for Her
Iznik (Nicaea), which has been the capital of many civilizations, was also the capital of Tiles.
This magnificent art came to life in master hands and lived its golden period in the 14th and 15th centuries.
The tiles used in the decoration of many mosques and palaces of the period further increased the magnificence of these structures.
Tile is a type of ceramic that is produced by mixing raw materials such as quartz clay, frit, dolomite, marl, chalk powder in certain proportions, and which is glazed on one or both sides, on which an underglaze and overglaze decoration is applied, and obtained by firing at 850-950 degrees.
Since it contains 80% quartz (Quartz), that is, semi-precious stone minarets, it has entered the ceramic literature as “Impossible Ceramics to Produce”.
How Iznik tiles are made?
Quartz, glass powder and clay are used in the production of Iznik tiles, which take their colors and patterns from the nature of Iznik.
After these materials are baked and ground, they are turned into dough, shaped in molds, left to dry for a week, then primed and dried again and baked at 930 degrees.
In the patterning part, the motif drawn on the parchment paper is pierced with a needle and charcoal powder is poured, allowing the pattern to rise onto the plate.
After the painting process, the plates are glazed and fired in an oven at 1000 degrees.
Chinese Temani, Hatai, Golden Horn work, pomegranate patterns, miniatures, Iznik bird, rose and carnation motifs are mostly used in Iznik tiles.
Tile art was registered in the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2013.
In addition, in order to transfer the art of tile to the next generations, to promote it, to register it in the Intangible Cultural Heritage List of Humanity, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism continues to prepare a file.
Where you can buy Turkish Ceramic/ Iznik Tiles:
We have listed some shops where you can find some best examples of Iznik Tiles..
This time we have selected only the places from the center of Iznik Tiles.. The city of Iznik in Bursa Province.. There are much to see there!
- Iznik Tile House – Iznik/Bursa
- Iznik Cini Esref Eroglu Workshop – Iznik/Bursa
- Iznik Vakfi – Iznik/Bursa
- Cengizhan Tiles – Iznik/Bursa
- Iznik Hunkar Cini – Iznik/Bursa
Copperware | Handmade Copper Items
Producing copper items is a common tradition in many cities in Turkey. Some leading cities in copper items production are: Gaziantep, kahramanmaras, Diyarbakir, Trabzon…
Forging technique is used in the processing of copper.
Forging technique is applied with two different methods called “pitting” and “collecting”.
Embroidery is carried out with “relief” and “staple embroidery” methods.
The motifs drawn with chisel pens are engraved on copper by striking them with blow pens and punches with various motif patterns in their mouths.
Among the products produced are vases, flower pots, trays, basins, teşt, bowls with handles, copper, ashurea, covered dish, cauldron, barbecue, champagne buckets, large-sized tarhana and ice cream cauldrons and various decorative ornaments.
The majority of the products produced are ornaments for touristic purposes.
Brass, which is obtained by mixing 70 percent copper and 30 percent zinc, is also processed by coppersmiths with motifs and various products are obtained.
Where you can buy Turkish Copper Crafts:
Here are some shops, and bazaars, markets where you can find some best examples of Handmade copper items..
- Tarihi Bakircilar Carsisi – Izmit/Kocaeli
- Lazyo Copper / Fatih Istanbul
- Kaya Bakircilik /Fatih Istanbul
- Gaziantep Copper Bazaar /Gaziantep
- Kervancioglu Copper /Gaziantep
- Bakır Home Gaziantep
- Sonay Copper Crafts / Trabzon
- Tarihi Bakırcılar Çarşısı /Trabzon
- Hakan Copper/Kahramanmaras
- Tanrikulu Copper/Diyarbakir
Mother of Pearl Inlaid Wooden Crafts
The art of mother-of-pearl inlay, basically, is the decoration of the wooden surface with motifs by inlaying light colored mother-of-pearl on dark materials such as wood, tortoise shell and horn, which are chosen in contrast.
It is called in Turkish; Sedef Kakma or Sedef İşçiliği.
A good mother-of-pearl master must also be a good carpenter. Must have knowledge of geometry and mathematics. Must have calligraphy and illumination knowledge. Must be patient and disciplined.
Where you can buy Turkish Mother of pearl Inlaid Wooden Crafts:
Here are some shops, and markets where you can see and buy wooden crafts with mother of pearl inlay.
- Gumustekin / Gaziantep
- Sedefkar Bekir/Kayseri
- Sedefçiler Çarşısı/Gaziantep
- zveg.com backgammon sets mother of pearl inlaid and handcarved
Mosaic Lamps / A great gift idea for home decoration
There are many features that distinguish mosaic lamps from other designs and lighting systems.
First of all, all of the mosaic lamp models are handcrafted by experienced craftsmen. Paints obtained from natural resins are used.
The most important feature that gives the real value to mosaic designs is the processing of old Turkish cultural and artistic values and all of the motifs reflect the Old Turkish traditions.
The materials used are of high quality and completely original. Of course, everything with handicraft and art is valuable.
Mosaic lamps have unlimited color and model options.
It can even be custom designed. It consists of different models and colors to be used in every corner of homes and spaces.
You can find mosaic lamps in any color and model you are looking for, as ceiling lighting in living rooms, floor lamps in living rooms, wall sconces and floor lighting.
Where you can buy Turkish Mosaic Lamps/Chandeliers:
You can find different kind of chandeliers, Turkish mosaic lamps at the below listed places & shops:
- Mosaic Lamps Shop/Istanbul
- Giftland Turkey/ Istanbul
- Anatolia Lamps/Istanbul
- Mosaic Lamp House/Istanbul
- Seray Mosaic Lamp/Istanbul