Turks may now favour Western-style malls, but you can still hunt for handicrafts at the Bazaar or haggle for the perfect rug.

There are two main kinds of shopping experience casual browsing, involving great deal of wandering and haggling, in which the actual purchase is secondary to the search itself; and the more straightforward hunt for a particular item or items. Istanbul is definitely a place for the former. With extensive bazaars and street markets and hordes of one-off quirky stores hidden in back alleys, shopping is high adventure rather than high fashion. You can find designer wear, local, imported, knock-down, remaindered and pirate, but there's more fun to be had with the odd, unique and impractical: old jewellery, 'Ottoman' ceramics, carpets, sweets, musical instruments, calligraphy, a fez, baggy Turkish trousers. All the kind of stuff that you were never even aware existed, but once seen can't do without.

For specifics, the best bet is one of the malls or a department store. There are also the places where there's the best chance of finding an English-speaking shop assistant.

Prices are not as cheap as might be expected. Certain locally produced items and handicrafts are a steal, but high quality clothing generally carries a higher price tag than abroad. Household appliances and furniture are considerably more expensive. Services, on the other hand, area bargain if you're able to find a reputable shop and overcome the language barrier to explain exactly what you want done. Exceptions are laundry and any repairs requiring imported parts.

 SHOPPING AREAS

Sultanahmet caters almost exclusively to tourists and has more than its fair share of tacky souvenir joints and irritatingly persistent carpet vendors. Some of the handicraft places aren't bad, although prices are marked up. The shops become more interesting as you head west along Divan Yolu toward the area of the Grand Bazaar. The Bazaar has lost its luster for locals, who prefer to spend their cash at Western-style malls, but it still offers unrivalled shopping for the curious and patient, and there are certainly things in it worth buying.

Eminonu is downhill and downmarket. Full of small shops and street traders, it draws mainly local crowds looking for rock-bottom bargains, copycat goods and pirated music and software. Take a look along Mahmutpasa Yokusu, Hamidiye Caddesi and the streets that cross them. The tradition of entire streets specializing in the sale of particular items lives on in Tahtakale, the neighbourhood adjacent to Eminonu and just below the Grand Bazaar. This is the place for handmade wooden objects, from simple spoons to elaborate shelving, metal objects, including watering cans and barbecues, and brass lanterns and coffee grinders.

Beyoglu is a shopping district in a more Western mould. The main drag, Istiklal Caddesi, mixes clothing shops with antique books, department stores, commercial galleries, music stores and Parisian-style passages, including Atlas Pasaji with its eclectic bunch of record stores, second-hand clothes shops and bric-a-brac. The bigger, more mainstream shops tend to be to the north end of Istiklal, the smaller, more individual places to the south.

The best window-shopping is in Nisantasi and Tesvikiye, two small neighbouring districts a mile or so north of Taksim Square. They're home to Istanbul's greatest concentration of international designer names, as well as to those Turkish boutiques able to hold their own against the mania for all things foreign. The other chi-chi shopping zone is on the Asian Shore; Bagdat Caddesi, a four-lane highway lined by labels, labels, labels. This is some of the city's hottest real estate, so the spending opportunities keep growing. Hip new cafes and restaurants have elbowed in among the retailers to help lure moneyed Istanbulites from the European side.

Back in European Istanbul, the one far-flung northern district of Etiler has moved a lot closer since the opening of the new metro. Shopping up here means either Akmerkez Hall or Ulus Market on Thursdays.

Antiques

Until recently Turks were in the habit of throwing out antique items and replacing them with manufactured goods. But old has become chic and prices have rocketed. There is some wonderful stuff around, though. The place to hunt is Cukurcuma, a small backstreet neighbourhood in Beyoglu behind the Galatasaray Lycee. Look for things like great old Anatolian trunks, traditionally painted as part of a bride's trousseau, or carved wooden panels and door from old buildings.

There isn't a fixed market price for antiques. It's essential to bargain. Before pitching your price, find out first whether the piece is exportable; antiques can be taken out of the country; antiquities cannot. Something a mere century old poses no problem, but a genuine 17th century Iznik tile is a definite no-no. Not only will it be confiscated by customs, but also you could end up in jail.

Gold

When inflation was sky-high and possessing foreign currency illegal, Turkish women invested their money in gold coins and slave bangles, both of which could be bought and sold for a price that fluctuated according to the gold rate. Not many shops in the Grand Bazaar are patronized by locals, but the gold shops are an exception. Trade remains brisk in the street of jewelers, which you enter through the Carsikapi Gate. Prices are by the gram and any piece you are interested in will be weighed in front of you and the price worked out using a calculator. Check the daily newspaper for the gold rate before you go. All gold is a minimum of 14 carat and goes up to 22 carat (nine carat is not considered gold in Turkey ) . Taxes on gold are less than in the UK but pieces are not hallmarked.

Mall Contents

Some 500 years after Mehmet the Conqueror presided over the building of Istanbul's first covered shopping center, the Grand Bazaar, its second, Galleria, was opened in Bakirkoy in 1988. After such a long wait, consumers went wild over the ice-skating rink, bowling alley, vast kiddie arcade 'Fame City', department store Printemps and the novelty of perusing the wares of 135 shops protected from the elements and free of hawkers.

When Akmerkez opened several years later, it had Istanbulites whole-heartedly embracing blue-collar American pastimes such as bowling and hanging out at the food court. But while elsewhere this is Homer Simpson territory, the novelty value in Turkey ensures that Akmerkez is high class. Winner of several international design awards, but basically a well-maintained and planned mall unlikely to impress foreign visitors. In addition to 246 shops, also has a men's and women's hairdresser, tailoring services, travel agency, exchange bureau, supermarket and cinemas. Food court on top floor features international and Turkish versions of fast food.

Currently, there are plans for the construction of an astonishing 65 new shopping centers and hypermarkets. That and the completion of the new public transport network will make malls accessible for the masses in a way not seen since around the late 15th century.

 WHAT IS TURKISH FASHION ?

Turkish designers face the same challenges as their counterparts in any other country, plus a few more. International designers dominate in Istanbul, and the days of Turkish haute couture look numbered. One of the reasons for this is that tastes have evolved so rapidly. As recently as ten years ago, stylish was equated with ostentation: big hair, tulle, feather boas, chunky gold jewellery, satin gloves, bows and bangles. Today, even a famed arabesque singer such as Ebru Gundes chooses to appear in concert wearing the Versace dress made famous by Jennifer Lopez at the Grammy Awards.

International designers borrow heavily from ethnic influences, but Turkish fashion seems uncertain of how to borrow from its own history and culture. Menswear designers held a fashion show at the Dolmabahce Palace featuring reproductions of Ataturk's favorite dressing gowns and frock coats. Fashion shows featuring reproductions of stylish 19th century Ottoman clothing are also in vogue. But Turkey has yet to produce its own version of Vivenne Westwood, a designer able to take period costumes and transforms them into cutting-edge, high fashion.

The two Turkish designers with an international following - Rifat Ozbek and Hussein Chalayan - were both educated at London's St. Martin's School of Art and both went on to be chosen British Designer of the Year. Ozbek refers to the 'sensuous' influence of Ottoman tile patterns, but also cites Indonesian ikat patterns and North American Indian beading as influences. Chalayan managed to enrage devout Muslims by designing Islamic headdresses for otherwise nude models but, for all that, he's an international designer who draws on international sources of inspiration.

So what, exactly, is 'Turkish' fashion? The Association of Istanbul Textile and Garment Exporters - ITKIB - rather belatedly realized that Turkish fashion would come of age only when a 'Made in Turkey' label carries a special cachet. The organization's decision to sponsor Turkish designers got off to an auspicious start with Chalayan's show at London Fashion Week 2000. More recently, ITKIB sponsored another young Turkish designer, Vienna-based Atil Kutoglu, at New York Fashion Week. These sponsorship activities are part of a new co-ordinated approach by business and government to promote Turkey as a label. Fashion, along with sport, the arts, cultural events and tourism, is seen as a means to improve Turkey's overseas image.

Damat Tween is one of the local boys made good. Damat has branches in 12 countries, as well as throughout Turkey. Classic menswear, from sport to suits, but well ahead of the pack in terms of design and quality.

The Rug Trade

Pity the poor carpet merchant, the used car dealer of the Orient. Carpet buying has become so associated with hassle, hustle and hoodwinking that many a tourist trumpets a return home without floor coverings as a testament to their ability to hold on to hard-earned cash and withstand being badgered into purchases so obvious they must be banal. Pity the poor, uninformed tourist.

Acquiring a carpet or kilim (flat-weave rug) can be intimidating and requires both homework and common sense. First, determine your price range and get a realistic idea of what you can afford. If you're interested in handmade carpets made of natural fibres and there's no reason to buy anything else in Turkey - expect to spend upwards of $300. Cushion covers salvaged from high quality but damaged carpets are a much cheaper alternative, starting at about $10 for good quality pieces.

Dealers will humour you by allowing you to singe a few threads of carpet, the much-advised way to distinguish synthetic fibres from natural. You would be hard pressed to find anything other than natural fibres, but be aware that vegetable dyes were almost entirely replaced by chemical dyes in Anatolia by the 1880s, and re-introduced only recently to satisfy the Western passion for all things natural. Don't believe claims that a carpet is 75 years old, with natural fibre and natural dye.

 SWEET STUFF

To the foreign palate, Turkish confectionery seems tooth-achingly sweet. Put that down to their Ottoman origins - a dynasty known for cloying excesses. The most famous confection of all, Turkish Delight, known locally as lokum, was invented by Haci Bekir, who has been immortalized by the sweet shops bearing his cornstarch. Typical flavourings include rosewater, essence of lemon and orange, and Arabic gum. It can then be rolled in cocunut or powdered sugar, and studded with pistachious and hazelnuts. Freshness is crucial. Old delights deteriorate into state chewy torture, so avoid buying at the Egyptian Market in favour of the two branches of HaciBekir, both of which have a much brisker turnover.

Istanbul almond and pistachio pastes ( badem and sam fistigi ezmesi ) plain or dipped in chocolate, bear no resemblance to their humble German cousin, marzipan. Regional specialties available in Istanbul include pismaniye, from the Izmit Region, which looks a bit like thick cotton candy and is made of spun butter and flour and Anatolian uzum sucugu, made by repeatedly dipping stringed walnuts into hot, concentrated grape juice. The brownish candle-like result is a chewy, nutty energy food. Turkish folklore has it that nuts and honey have aphrodisiacal powers, hence numerous variations of sticky nut balls lumped under the heading, ' Turkish Viagra ' and displayed next to postcards and statuettes of Priapus sporting an enormous erection.