HandMade

Crafted with the best tools God gave us.

I like wandering Bazaars, the less touristy the better. I love the sounds, the smells, the colours. Although the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul was humongous it was clearly lacking in authenticity. But what the Grand Bazaar lacked, the Bazaar in Urfa(Sanliurfa) more than made up for. Instead of rows of stalls selling tacky tourist t-shirts and knick knacks, there were craftsman banging out copper pots for actual cooking, not souvenirs; there were tobacco traders, carpenters, butchers and proper spice stalls, which sold spices in packages too big to check in. There were real caravanserais where goods were still being stored, after their long journey overland from China, through Iran and onwards to Istanbul or Europe. The chatter was a mix of Kurdish, Farsi, Arabic and Turkish instead of the disheartening mix of EU languages. The passageways were lighted not by flourescent tubes but by sunlight piercing through the gaps in the canvas sheets; spotlighting the craftsmen, creating atmospheric backdrops.