Tour Guide's Choice

Childhood memories evoked by the smell of spices

Kübra Demir-Professional Tour Guide

"....We are currently in front of the Egyptian Bazaar (Mısır Çarşısı). The Egyptian Bazaar is one of Istanbul's oldest and largest bazaars. Both local and foreign tourists, as well as our citizens, come here for shopping. They usually come here for spice shopping and for buying Turkish delights. The importance of the Egyptian Bazaar to me is that when I was a child, my mother and grandmother used to come here with me and buy various spices for holiday meals, family gatherings, and Sunday breakfasts. I have a feeling that I can never forget when I smell that scent every time I enter here. It is because it is very crowded, my grandmother used to hold my hand tightly just so that I would not get lost. Every time I enter here and smell that scent, I remember her..."