So today I went to the big market in Aksaray which is one of Istanbul’s biggest markets. It’s a trip I make a couple times a week, as I do a lot of business there. I first visited Aksaray with my mum, and I’ve since gone there multiple times after that.
Today I’m going to show you guys a little bit about how public transportation works in Istanbul, as well as the notorious Underground food market in Aksaray where loads of Africans come from as far as Mecidieköy and Esenyurt to buy food items as it boasts some of the cheapest prices as well as rare imported African food like scotch bonnets and dried Cameroun Pepper.
I live in Arnavutköy and there are a couple ways to get to Aksaray from my house, the easiest being private transportation, but since I’m still working on buying my vintage car, (😉) I get on the bus. Lol! There are many different types of buses in Istanbul. There’s the mini büs, the Oto büs, the Metro büs, the Havali büs which is the Airport büs, as well as some other buses I see, but don’t know about yet.
The mini büs runs in and around the towns, and are probably the most common of the lot. They can be found everywhere, and get you from one place to another in your Belediyesi. It has a standard price of ₺2.50 for adults and ₺1.50 for students no matter how far or how close your destination. They have no designated bus stops, and you can get in one or alight off one at your street junction. The mini büs has very few seats, and a lot of standing space. To get to Aksaray I get in one at the junction near my street, and alight at the Merkez Camii Oto büs stop.
The Oto büs is a big Yellow bus that has specific routes, and specific destinations. The destinations are displayed on a screen by the bus stop.
Not to be confused with the Metro Büs that runs in its designated lane in the middle of the road, the Oto büs runs between different Belediyesis. It has big parks in more remote ones, to make the more accessible to the city center and each other. I didn’t get a picture of the exterior, as I had to hurry to get in, but I did get pictures of the interior. The buses usually take more people, but in this time of social distancing measures have been put in place to ensure the safety of passengers.
The Oto büs does not accept cash - although I’ve paid cash in one before. It uses the Istanbul bus card called the Akbill and costs almost ₺4 for the trip to Aksaray with the 336 bus going to Eminonü. You swipe your card as you get in the bus.
One of my favorite things about Istanbul is how beautiful it is. It’s a gorgeous city. It has beautiful greenery almost everywhere and the city seems to heavily invest in aesthetics. I was really excited by the bus stops covered in plants.
Istanbul is really charming as it has a great mix of old buildings and new buildings. It also has fascinating architecture. I find beauty everywhere I turn even in the run down buildings. It takes about an hour and a half to get to Aksaray from Arnavutköy by büs, so I have enough time to do whatever I want - whether it’s settling down to check my phone or just taking in the view from the bus window.
I get off the bus at the Aksaray stop, and walk about 7 minutes to the market. The city has a lot of street food especially at the metro stations in carts. Sweet corn boiled or roasted and sold with roasted walnuts, (I think) a kind of bread that looks like a pretzel, but probably isn’t, durum which is Turkish shawarma and many more can be found on my walk to the market.
The underground market or underground as it is commonly known is usually crowded, but was uncharacteristically empty due to the pandemic. Here are a few photos of the stands that can be found in it.
All in all I had a very productive and fun day going to the market, and I hope you had fun and learned a thing or two coming with me, especially if you’re new to the city.
I’ll end this post with a picture of this man who saw me taking photos and asked me to take a picture of him to remind you that Turkish people are fantastic, because for me they remain my favorite thing about this city.
I’ll always be grateful to God for bringing me to live in such a wonderful, beautiful place.
The lines are fallen into me in pleasant places, yea I have a goodly heritage
Love, Yoma
PS: This will be a series called Come With Me where I take you guys on trips with me to the places I go to. Some days they’ll be planned trips, some days they’ll be impromptu. Some days they’ll be solo trips, some days they’ll be trips with my friends, but every time it’ll be fun, educational, enlightening and beautiful. The aim is to make you fall in love with the things I enjoy and love, and the city I live in.
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