Turkish Hospitality

The polite haggler

“How much for this?” Kirk asked. “55 Lira,” the shopkeeper at the Grand Bazaar told him. “You can’t do 30 Lira?” Kirk asked politely. That question was met with an explanation of the Turkish lamp’s superior craftsmanship, its authenticity, etc., from the good-humored shopkeeper. “OK, I sell to you for 45 Lira,” he said. But Kirk wasn’t done haggling. “You really can’t do 40 Lira?” Kirk asked again ever-so-nicely. “Don’t push me,” said the shopkeeper laughing, telling us that he can’t sell it for less than the wholesale cost. “So, you can’t sell it to us for 40 Lira?” Kirk questioned again innocently. “OK 40,” the shopkeeper quickly replied with a laugh. And the haggling was done.

The polite haggler himself: One shopkeeper told Kirk he
looked like a "Buddhist Master." The master haggled away.

The Grand Bazaar was not nearly as intimidating as it looks. Sure, it’s crowded and huge, but the shopkeepers aren’t aggressively stalking you or twisting your arm to make a purchase—which is what I was expecting. Instead, they politely invite you into their shop as you walk by. If you simply shake your head “no” and smile, they smile back and leave you alone. Actually, the worst part of the Grand Bazaar is not the shopkeepers at all. The worst part of the Grand Bazaar is the fact that people smoke inside this huge, ancient indoor shopping mall. Cigarette smoke + crowds of people under the same roof = not good for sensitive noses. Look for shops with no smoking signs.

When all the haggling was complete (thanks to Kirk and his polite way of getting a good deal), we made off with a pair of Turkish slippers, a large mosaic Turkish lamp and a ceramic tasseled hanging bell all for less than $40.

Sultans are buried under this domed ceiling.

The case of the stolen tiles

Earlier that day, before bargain hunting, we visited the free Aya Sofya mausoleum where sultans and their royal families are buried. While it may not sound so exciting, the buildings holding the coffins are elaborately decorated and worth seeing just for the amazing domed ceilings and colored marble. It’s free to enter into these buildings, but you have to remove your shoes to walk around on the carpeted interior. One of the buildings used to be the baptistery back when the mosque was known as Hagia Sophia, the Christian church. The ceiling was plastered over when the Ottomans conquered the city and turned the church into a mosque. Today, part of that plastered ceiling of the baptistery is uncovered to reveal the original painting beneath.

Sultans are buried in green coffins.

To add some drama to the creepy, angular and green cloth-covered coffins inside the mausoleum buildings that hold sultans’ remains, there’s evidence of a major art heist here. A plaque describes how an Iznik tiled mural was sent to France for restoration. It claims the French restored the mural and instead kept it, basically stealing from Turkey. Today, the original mural is on display in the Louvre. The angry concluding remarks of the plaque describe how Turkey continues to ask for the mural’s safe return, but to no avail. So the mural on one mausoleum is a sad reproduction, and the Turks are not happy about it. Hey France; Turkey called. It wants its tiled mural back. 

Top 6 for Turkish hospitality

When not fighting for their stolen tiled murals, the Turks are famous for their hospitality. We experienced this personally throughout our vacation in Istanbul and in Selcuk and Ephesus. Here are the top six examples of Turkish hospitality we witnessed:

The deluxe suite in the Kumru Hotel was fabulous.

1. The day we arrived in Istanbul, jet-lagged from our three flights, the hotel co-owner got us “take-out” for our room. Basically, he walked to the nearest nice restaurant, picked us up some food and brought it to our room while we were resting. He simply added the 20-Lira meal to our hotel bill and didn’t even charge extra for the trouble or for the tip. Now that’s room service!
2. We reserved a standard room at the Kumru Hotel in the old part of Istanbul. On the third day of our stay, when suites in the hotel were available, the owner upgraded us free-of-charge to a deluxe suite. And the suite was huge. It had a luxurious shower and bathtub, a sitting area, two daybeds (we used these as couches) and a comfy king-sized bed. It was awesome!
3. While we were waiting in Selcuk for our bus back to the airport, we took shelter from the drizzling rain under the covered awning of a nearby mosque. When the pastor found us there, he motioned for us to sit on the outdoor-carpeted area instead of the cold marble at the edge where we had been sitting. He also came out of the mosque multiple times to check on us.
4. On the airport shuttle back to our hotel, the driver gave us two fresh pomegranates.
5. We were given free apple tea “on the house” at Çesme Restaurant, a nearby good value restaurant we frequented during our stay in Istanbul.
6. We received discounts from the neighborhood Turkish Delight shop where we bought treats nearly every day. The owner would simply knock a few Lira off the price each time.