A Rummage Around Ferikoy Flea Market.

A Rummage Around Ferikoy Flea Market.

September 2020.

It was a warm late afternoon as Sladja and I wandered through Istanbul’s Ferikoy district. We were on our way to the nearby neighbourhood of Bomonti, a fashionable culinary hotspot where we hoped to grab dinner and drinks. I can’t say we stumbled upon Ferikoy Flea Market, because actually our Airbnb hostess had recommended it to us.

“Istanbul’s most authentic market” wrote one reviewer online. “The antidote to the tack and hassle of The Grand Bazaar!” claimed another. Mm, sounds like our kinda place, let’s do it.

Figuring this was the perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone, we decided to pop our heads into the market on our way to Bomonti. Timing wise, we hadn’t exactly aced our visit. In fact, with the market closing at 19:00 we arrived to find the place already in the gradual state of winding down for the evening.

Indeed some vendors had already vacated their wooden tables. Others were packing up. As we entered, one man had just picked up his table and was now trudging off to wherever it is wooden tables go at the end of the day. Back of the car? Storage room?

A Rummage Around Ferikoy Flea Market.

Amusingly, other vendors hadn’t yet decided if they were staying to the bitter end. Due to the fact that they were fast asleep. Hm, a slow day I guess. Or perhaps that’s just how things roll at the market. I’m not sure if there was someone keeping an eye on her stuff, but she certainly didn’t seem concerned about theft.

Established in the mid 1980s, the market is home to over 200 vendors and goes by a number of names. Many people for example call it Ferikoy Antiques Market, as it’s known as one of Istanbul’s best places for antique lovers. Moreover, come here on a Saturday and there is a whole different atmosphere for the weekly Ferikoy Organic Bazaar.

While there weren’t any fruit or veg stalls on the day of our visit, we did enjoy the many murals that celebrate the Organic Bazaar and its short history.

In addition to fruit and veg, the market is a great spot for locally produced honey, jam and cheeses. There are also usually a handful of folk cooking up hot snacks. Such as the much beloved Gözleme, a buttery, oily turnover stuffed with anything from minced lamb to spinach and eggplant. Oh, and plenty of people online claim the market has some of Istanbul’s tastiest fresh fish.

Ferikoy Organic Bazaar.

Wandering the aisles, we immediately understood that the vendors who’d stayed awake were just as chilled as those who were napping. Beyond the occasional nod and smile, everyone seemed more than happy leaving us to our own devices. Thus we had all the time in the world to quietly check out this amazing stall of creative steampunk lights. Mr. Vendor even politely looked the other way as I lined up my photo.

Many older vendors simply don’t speak English, hence they can’t be bothered laying on the hard sell. It was a similar situation with the younger sellers, though I suspect in some cases there was a bit of too cool for school thrown in as well. In any case we moved on from this stall after a quick rummage through its unpredictable hodgepodge of underwhelming bric-a-brac.

I did like how we never quite knew what was coming up next. A stall of vintage movie posters and early 20th century postcards. Rows of painted porcelain vases and a wobbly hillock of silver and iron coins. Furthermore, there were watches, teacups, polaroid cameras and craft jewellery.

At one anything goes stall, pictured below, I enjoyed the unlikely combination of fancy brass candlesticks and some dried wood harmoniums. Not to mention the admittedly creepy dolls that could have once been the stars of some forgotten 1960s Mardi Gras horror movie.

A Rummage Around Ferikoy Flea Market.

Before long, I tracked down the obligatory collection of used vinyl. Featuring, among others, iconic Turkish singer songwriters and pioneering 60s rock bands, including The Kinks and The Byrds.

On the subject of music, there were numerous stalls dealing in vintage audio equipment. Some pretty cool record players, amps and speakers. All of which had me feeling more than a little nostalgic for the personal hi-fi system I put together from separate parts back in the mid 90s when I was a teen.

Eventually, we found something that we could claim for ourselves. A little memento, if you will, of our time in Istanbul. We had a good feeling abut this modest box of poster prints the moment we began leafing through them.

It was just a case of finding the right one. A print that now sits in Belgrade with all the other ones we’ve picked up during our four years together living and travelling the world. Soon, fingers crossed, we’ll be in a situation to gather all this stuff together as we close in (possibly) on the promised land of crafting a settled home in a new country.

Exploring Istanbul.

Satisfied with our rapid rummage through Ferikoy Flea Market, we made for the exit with our stomachs rumbling. Past the stalls of paintings, comics, cassette tapes, dolls, crockery, DVDS and tablecloths.

Like this? Take a look at my series of articles on Istanbul.

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