Sali Pazari: Discovering My Neighborhood Market

Sometimes I’m so eager to explore farther corners of this sprawling city that I forget to look in my own backyard.

I’ve written about Istanbul’s Tarlabasi Sunday Market— it’s actually the most-read piece on this blog. But until recently, I never went to Kadikoy’s own market– the twice-weekly Sali Pazari.

The name literally means “Tuesday Market,” but it springs up in the middle of an empty lot on Fridays as well, turning a blank space into beehive of bustle. I’m not usually free on Fridays and Tuesdays– this hasn’t been true the entire time I’ve lived in Kadikoy, so it’s a poor excuse for missing the market– but on a rare free Friday, a couple of friends and I went to explore this neighborhood market. Would it be as good as Tarlabasi?

It is– but it feels very different. The actual geography of Tarlabasi pulls you into the tight old streets of the neighborhood, making the experience feel maze-like and all-encompassing. In Kadikoy, however, the market’s location in a separate lot near a busy highway gives it an individual identity outside of Kadikoy’s more neighborhood-like areas. Sali Pazari creates its own geography.

There is an order to the market stands, barely. Fruit and vegetables give way to olives and spices, which turn into cheeses and cookware and cutlery, then figurines, picture frames, old toys, unidentified tchotchkes. Turn a corner and find yourself in a swirl of fabric and piles of clothes. Turn another and you’re in a sea of undergarments and hanging shoes.

Let it be said, Istanbul’s markets are never boring on the senses.

We spent the sunny day wandering around, tasting every olive, buying bags of cardamom, flirting with purchasing a lemon tree. We brushed elbows with the little old ladies of Kadikoy (seemingly always a presence at these weekly markets) and bartered for butter knives with the good-natured vendors.

The neighborhood markets are part of the fabric of the communities in Istanbul, and I was glad to finally experience this piece of the neighborhood that I’ve called home for the last year. It’s large and lively energy makes Sali Pazari worth seeking out even if you aren’t living in Kadikoy– it’s a beautiful mass of community that exists in earnest for two days, before it vanishes into an emptiness again.