This government-owned chain is a sort of collective operated by the Turkish Republic Ministry of Culture. Works by artists and craftspeople are commissioned independently and sold at fixed prices in a highly evocative setting near major museums and monuments. Lately, several of the stores are now stocking an array of high-quality baubles representative of Anatolian culture, in addition to their collection of regional carpets, kilims, and tribal pieces. Several outlets are in Sultanahmet alone; the Haseki Hürrem Sultan Hamami displays carpets, kilims, and camel bags only. The gift shop in the entrance courtyard of Topkapi Palace and the one outside the main gate stock a good variety of items, including meerschaum, kilims, pottery, jewelry, and memorabilia.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Istanbul, 1st Edition, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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