December 31, 2013/ altair / European Vacations

You seriously cannot go anywhere in Turkey without someone trying to sell you something. People will approach you on the street; engage in a little friendly conversation about where you’re from, how do you like Turkey, and “would you like to come with me to my uncle’s shop? It’s just around the corner, and has the best authentic kilims (for example).” Apart from classical tourist souvenirs, there are a few things that you can bring back home from Turkey. And it is worth to do so.

• Leather clothing – Turkey is the biggest leather producer in the world, so the leather clothing is cheaper than elsewhere. Lots of shops everywhere are specialized on leather.
• Carpets and kilims – Many regions in Turkey produce handmade kilims and carpets. You can find shops specialized on handmade carpets and kilims in any major city, tourist spots and Sultanahmet Area.
• Silk – Dresses and scarves. Although can be found in many parts of the country, silk fans should head for Bursa. and before that, pick up basics of bargaining.
• Earthenware – Handmade Cappadocian pottery (amphoras, old-style plates, flowerpots etc) are made of local salty clay. Salt content of clay, thanks to salt spray produced by the Salt Lake –which is the second largest lake in Turkey- in the heartland of Central Anatolia, is what makes local earthenware top quality.
• Turkish delight and Turkish coffee – If you like these during your Turkey trip, don’t forget to take a few packages back home. Available everywhere.
• Honey – The pine honey of Marmaris is famous and has a much stronger taste and consistency than regular flower honeys. Although not easily attained, if you can find, don’t miss the honey of Macahel valley, made out of flowers of a temperate semi-rainforest, which is almost completely out of human impact, in the far northeastern Black Sea Region.
• Chestnut dessert — Made out of syrup and chestnuts grown on the foothills of Mt. Uluda?, chestnut dessert is a famous and tasty product of Bursa. There are many variations, such as chocolate coated ones. Chestnut dessert can be found in elsewhere, too, but relatively more expensive and in smaller packages.
• Meerschaum souvenirs – Despite its name meaning “sea foam” which it resembles, meerschaum (lületa??) is extracted only in one place in the world: landlocked Eski?ehir province in the extreme northwest part of Central Anatolia Region. This rock, similar to gypsum at sight, is carved into smoking pipes and cigarette holders. It has a soft and creamy texture and makes for a great decorative item. Available at some shops in Eski?ehir.
• Castile (olive oil) soap — Natural, a silky touch on your skin, and a warm Mediterranean atmosphere in your bathroom. Absolutely cheaper than those to be found in Northern and Western Europe. Street markets in the Aegean Region and southern Marmara Region is full of olive oil soap, almost all of which are handmade.
• Other soaps unique to Turkey are: laurel soaps (defne sabunu) which is produced mainly in Antioch, soaps of Isparta enriched with rose oil which is produced abundantly in the area around Isparta, and b?tt?m sabunu, a soap made out of the oil of seeds of a local variety of pistachio tree native to the mountains of Southeastern Region.
• Warning! To export or to take out the antiques which are more than 100 years old from Turkey is subject to heavy restrictions or in many cases outright forbidden. If it is the case that someone offers you to sell antiques, either he/she is a liar, just trying to sell cheap imitations or he/she is committing a crime, which you are about to be a part of, if you accept to be the purchaser.
• Credit cards and ATMs – Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted, American Express much less so. Starting from June 1, 2007 all credit card users (of those with a chip on them) have to enter their PIN codes. Older, magnetic card holders are exception to this, but remember that unlike some other places in Europe, salesclerk has the legal right to ask you a valid photo ID to recognize that you are the owner of the card. ATMs are scattered throughout the cities, concentrated in central parts. It is possible to draw Turkish Lira from these ATMs with your foreign card. As soon as you insert a foreign card, an ATM asks whether to provide instructions in English or in Turkish. ATMs charge some percentage (generally 1%) of what you withdraw each time. This percentage is higher for advance withdrawing with your credit card.
• Tipping – A 10% of the total bill or simply rounding up to the next lira for smaller purchases is welcome, though this is not a custom to be strictly followed. If you think they don’t deserve any tip, walking out into the street without leaving anything is totally okay, and there is no need to feel ashamed. Some establishments charge an additional 10% on your bill that you have to pay, that is the “service charge”, and sometimes it is not declared to the customer until the bill shows up. Obviously, there is no reason to leave any more tip in that kind of places. Taxi drivers usually tend to round up what the meter says to the next lira and give your change accordingly. So tipping is not necessary. Supermarket cashiers usually round up the total sum to the next 5 kuru? if you pay in cash. This is not a kind of involuntary tip, as the 2-3-4 kuru?es don’t go into their pockets. It is simply because they are not adequately supplied with enough 1 kuru? coins as it is very rare in circulation.
• Bargaining – In Turkey, bargaining is a must. One can bargain everywhere that doesn’t look too luxurious: shops, hotels, bus, company offices, and so on. During your bargaining, don’t look so impressed and interested, and be patient. Since foreigners (especially Western people) aren’t expected to be good at bargaining, sellers are quick to reject any bargaining attempt (or are at least quick to look like so), but be patient and wait, the price will fall!
• VAT refund – You can get a VAT refund (18% or 23% on most items) if you are not a citizen or permanent resident of Turkey. Look for the blue “Tax-Free” sticker on the windowpane or entrance of the shops, these kind of shops are the only places you can get a VAT refund. Don’t forget to take the necessary papers from the shop that will enable you for a VAT reclaim when leaving Turkey.

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Tags Turkey: What to Buy