Shopping in Diyarbakir: What to Buy and What to Skip

By All Over InformationUpdated August 10, 20268 min read

Shopping in Diyarbakir is one of the great pleasures of the city, and it is a very different experience from the tourist bazaars of the west. This is a working market city, where the crafts are practiced daily and the shopping is done by locals as much as visitors. The goods are genuine, the prices are fair, and the atmosphere is the best part of the transaction.

This guide covers what to buy, where to find it, and how to shop well in the bazaars of Diyarbakir.

The Bazaar Quarter: Where to Shop

The shopping heart of Diyarbakir is the covered bazaar quarter of the old city, the network of lanes that stretches between Ulu Cami and the New Gate. This is a working market rather than a tourist arcade, and the streets specialize: a coppersmiths’ lane, a textiles street, a spice market, each with its own character and its own regulars.

The bazaar is at its best in the morning, when the workshops are open and the trading is liveliest, and the lanes fill with the commerce of the region. The shopkeepers are unhurried and welcoming, and a glass of tea is part of the conversation before any transaction.

The practical geography is simple: follow the sounds and the smells. The hammering leads to the coppersmiths, the color to the textiles, and the fragrance to the spices. The bazaar rewards the wanderer, and the best purchases are the ones found by accident.

Copper and the Coppersmiths

The copperware of Diyarbakir is the city’s most famous craft, and the coppersmiths’ street is the liveliest corner of the bazaar. The workshops ring with the hammers shaping the metal, and the finished goods cover the walls: trays, pots, teapots, and the coffee pots of the region, gleaming in the half-light of the lanes.

The quality is real, because the craft is practiced daily for the local market, and the prices are honest. A copper tray or a set of the small coffee cups makes a beautiful and durable souvenir, and the pieces carry the city’s tradition in their metal.

The practical advice is to look for the hammer marks that show the hand work, and to buy from the workshops where the craft is practiced in front of you. The coppersmiths will pack the pieces for travel, and the bargaining is gentle.

Diyarbakir, Turkey — Photo by smuldur on Pixabay

Textiles and Kilims

The textiles of the region are the second great shopping tradition of Diyarbakir. The fabric sellers’ lanes hang with bolts of cloth, and the traditional weaving of the southeast, the kilims and the flatweaves of the villages, is the treasure of the textile trade.

A kilim from the region carries the patterns of the Kurdish and Turkish villages, woven by hand in the wool of the mountain flocks, and the pieces are as beautiful on a floor as they are on a wall. The village rugs of the southeast are among the best values in Turkish shopping, because they are bought from the trade that knows them.

The textiles street is the place to start, and the shops of the old city and the modern center both carry the regional weaving. The advice is to buy from the shop that knows its pieces, and to let the pattern choose you.

Jewelry and Silverwork

The silverwork of the southeast is a craft of great tradition, and the jewelry shops of Diyarbakir carry the pieces of the region: the silver bracelets, the earrings, and the belts of the local dress, worked with the filigree and the stone setting of the area’s workshops.

The jewelry is bought for weddings and celebrations across the region, so the quality standard is high, and the silver is the true metal of the trade. The pieces are also the most personal of souvenirs, carrying the style of the region on the wrist or the neck.

The jewelry shops cluster in the old city and along the main commercial streets, and the gold and silver bazaar of the city is the serious destination. The prices follow the weight of the metal, and the bargaining is part of the tradition.

Spices and the Pantry of the Region

The spice market of Diyarbakir is a feast of the senses, and the pantry of the region is the traveler’s most practical purchase. The stalls pile the colors of the southeast in pyramids: the red of the pepper, the green of the herbs, the amber of the spices that season the regional kitchen.

The essentials of the regional pantry are the sumac, the cumin, the dried mint, and the pepper of the southeast, along with the local bulgur and the lentils of the Tigris valley. The spice merchants will grind and blend to order, and the small packages travel well.

The advice for the spice buyer is to buy what you will cook, and to let the merchants advise on the uses. The flavors of Diyarbakir travel home in the jars and the packets, and the cooking that follows is the souvenir that keeps giving.

Sweets and the Pastry Shops

The sweet tradition of the southeast is the indulgence of the Diyarbakir shopping trip. The pastry shops of the city make the pistachio pastries and the syrup-soaked sweets that the region is famous for, and the boxes of the local baklava-style confections are the most delicious souvenir the city offers.

The pastry shops are at their best in the late afternoon, when the trays come out fresh, and the shops of the old city and the modern streets both carry the regional specialties. The pistachios of the southeast are the star ingredient, and the sweets that carry them are the taste of the region.

The practical notes are simple: buy the sweets for the journey home, and ask the shop to pack them for travel. The sweets of Diyarbakir are the gift that everyone appreciates, and they are the taste of the city in a box.

Local Crafts and Souvenirs

Beyond the great traditions, the crafts of Diyarbakir offer a range of smaller souvenirs. The carved stone of the region appears in the small basalt objects, the woodwork of the southeast in the boxes and the kitchen tools, and the felt and the woolwork in the winter accessories.

The souvenir shops of the old city carry the range, and the craftsmen’s workshops are the better source, because the buying there supports the craft directly. The small objects, the copper coffee cups, the woven bags, and the stone carvings, make the travel keepsakes that carry the memory.

The advice is to buy what you will use, because the genuine crafts of Diyarbakir are made for daily life. The souvenir that gets used at home is the souvenir that keeps the trip alive.

The Modern Shops and Malls

The shopping of modern Diyarbakir has its own geography, and the traveler who wants the contemporary commerce of the city will find it in the new districts. The shopping streets of the center carry the national chains and the international brands, and the big mall of the region draws the families of the city.

The modern shopping is the other side of the city’s life, and an evening in the mall district is a glimpse of the new Diyarbakir. The cafes, the cinemas, and the shops of the modern center are the same world the young generation of the city inhabits.

For the traveler, the modern shopping is the practical resource: the supermarkets for the supplies, the pharmacies, and the brands that the bazaar does not carry. The two shopping worlds of Diyarbakir sit comfortably side by side.

Bargaining and Practical Tips

The bargaining culture of Diyarbakir is gentler than the legend of the eastern bazaar suggests. The prices are honest to begin with, and the bargaining is a social ritual rather than a war. A smile, a fair offer, and a glass of tea settle most transactions happily.

The practical rules are simple. Compare prices between the shops before committing, because the lanes carry the same goods at different rates. Carry cash, because the bazaar is a cash economy, and the small change matters in the bargaining.

Finally, shop with respect and with time. The best purchases in Diyarbakir come from the conversations, and the traveler who treats the shopping as a visit rather than a transaction will find the prices soft and the hospitality real.

Shopping Around the Year

The shopping of Diyarbakir follows the seasons, and the traveler who knows the calendar shops best. In the summer, the fruit and vegetable markets are the spectacle, with the watermelons and the melons of the Tigris valley in their glory, and the juice stalls doing their best trade of the year.

The autumn brings the harvest of the region to the markets: the pomegranates, the nuts, and the late vegetables, along with the honey and the cheese of the countryside that the market stalls lay out in their seasonal abundance.

The winter months are the season of the crafts and the sweets. The interior shopping of the bazaar continues through the cold, and the approach of the holiday season brings the pastry shops to their peak, with the trays of the regional sweets stacked high and the copper and the textiles selling as the gifts of the season.

Frequently asked questions

What is Diyarbakir best to buy?

Diyarbakir is best for copperware, the traditional craft of the city, and for the textiles and kilims of the region. The silver jewelry, the spices, and the pistachio sweets of the pastry shops are the other great purchases, all found in the bazaar quarter of the old city.

Where is the best shopping in Diyarbakir?

The bazaar quarter of the old city is the best shopping destination, with its coppersmiths’ street, textile lanes, and spice market. The modern shopping streets and the mall of the new districts cover the contemporary brands, and the two worlds sit side by side.

Do I need to bargain in the Diyarbakir bazaar?

Bargaining is expected but gentle in Diyarbakir. The starting prices are honest, and a fair offer with a smile settles most transactions. Carry cash, compare prices between the shops, and treat the bargaining as a social ritual rather than a contest.

All Over Information

The All Over Information editorial team researches and writes practical English-language guides to Turkey. Facts are checked against official and local sources before publication, prices are published as dated ranges rather than quotes, and guides are revised when things change. We accept no sponsored posts, paid placements or paid links.