There comes a time for all of us when we have to purchase Turkish souvenirs for curious kith and kin back home. To get them their fix of evil eyes and olive oil soaps, I used to have to trek out to the Grand Bazaar or Galata. Besides these places being crowded and hectic, I always felt a tinge of guilt and unease with the racks of identical knick-knacks. Where are these products made? What kind of working conditions are they supporting? In an era of globalization, I think many of us, not just me, wonder whether our nazarlık were actually made in Turkey or were assembled in a far-off factory.
That’s why I was so glad to find Nahıl Gift Shop, conveniently tucked in a sidestreet of Istiklal near Taksim Square. Nahıl is the commercial branch of the Foundation for the Support of Women’s Work (Kadın Emeğini Değerlendirme Vakfı, or KEDV), a nonprofit organization that was founded in Istanbul in 1986 and has gained a brilliant reputation thanks to its grassroots approach to women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship. KEDV partners with local women’s groups and initiatives throughout the country in order to better identify women’s particular needs and enhance the pre-existing traditional skills of each community. One stand-out example is in Mardin, where it organized a successful women’s soap-making collective. KEDV now supports 23 women’s and childcare centers in underdeveloped areas throughout Turkey, reaching thousands of vulnerable women and children with needed services.
Indeed, many other websites have extolled the wonderful social mission of KEDV and Nahıl. However, it’s crucial that a fair-trade, artisanal goods initiative not only provide healthy working conditions, social support and a fair living wage, but also quality products. Otherwise, the initiative will fail commercially and no one benefits. As one KEDV coordinator told Today’s Zaman, “If women cannot sell it, it is unfortunately a waste of time.” For this reason, KEDV works with its female artisans and collectives to ensure that their products are an appealing, and marketable, mixture of modern and traditional.
Their efforts are evident in their wide range of charming, high-quality crafts. Nahıl has something to offer to everyone on your souvenir-shopping list. For your mother, buy a spa set with a peştemal (Turkish bath towel) and handmade soap, topped with a boncuk. Among the wide selection of olive oil soaps, you can find a scent even your dad can appreciate. For your aunt or grandma, there are precious hand-stitched aprons, homemade pomegranate sauces and erişte (Central Asian noodles). For your nieces, nephews, siblings, children and other young relatives, there is a menagerie of stuffed animals, dolls, booties and bibs made with all organic materials and dyes. And for all your friends, select from hand-embroidered scarves, travel bags, keychains, jewelry, notebooks with cute stitched designs and colorful wall hangings. My favorite are the bright, hand-sewn home ornaments decorated with traditional cow bells.
The products are all priced affordably, from 4 TL ($2.00) for a lavender potpourri sachet or small soap to 50 TL ($25.00) for a set of children’s toys. While the selection of items is not comparable to a typical Grand Bazaar tourist stand — Nahıl does not, after all, aim to be a souvenir shop — their pieces are handmade, authentic, unique and ultimately more meaningful than the average trinket at the Kapalı Çarşı. Plus, it is a quiet and peaceful respite from the crowded streets of Sultanahmet, and the back of the shop doubles as a second-hand clothing store with racks of vintage and used clothes; a great place for thrift-shoppers and a worthy destination for threads you are ready to donate.
I urge you, on your next souvenir or gift-buying spree, to visit Nahıl and enjoy their wonderful handicrafts. Your family and friends at home will thank you, and you will be content knowing your purchase supports a great mission.
Website: www.nahil.com.tr, www.kedv.org.tr.
Hours: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m., closed on Sundays.
Address: İstiklal Caddesi Bekar Sokak No. 17 Beyoğlu İstanbul.
Directions: Walk from Taksim. Turn right onto Bekar Sokak. Nahıl is on the left side of the street.
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Cassondra loves swingsets, art, and finding hidden historical gems. She writes about Istanbul, travel, language and teaching at Pulsations.
My evil eyes will work even better from there!
UM