I love markets. Dry ones, wet ones, noisy ones, farmers’ ones… I love wandering through the din of a market and listening to the sounds of haggling, trading and of sellers shouting their wares.
The Havra Sokagi is one such market I visited when I came to Izmir. We were staying in Eski Foca, the old town by the harbour, and drove down to see what the third largest city in Turkey had to offer.
Our first stop is to eat the freshly fried salmon and sardines at this quaint shop. Fish just has to be fresh, and most of the time, you don’t need to do much else to make it taste good.
The fishmongers are out in full force. Shouting their offerings and trying to entice the little old ladies to buy their fish. A little water helps to keep the fish looking fresh, like they just came out of the sea.
My suspicion is that the best fish is already gone in the early morning. This is mid morning already but the stalls still have plenty of stock. It must be good fishing around here.
The veggies are everywhere too. In all manner of shape and colour. It reminds me of wet markets in Singapore. The tone and manner of market folk don’t change across cultures, perhaps.
A young man is helping his father to fold thin filo pastry skins. His hands move with the dexterity of someone who has done this a thousand times. He doesn’t even need to look at what he is folding. It is all muscle memory.
Clothes too, are sold all over. A shirt can be bought for 25TL to 30TL. Jeans are cheap and plentiful. Track pants are discounted, down from 25TL to 15TL. Everybody needs new track pants some time.
“Try this shirt for size,” this gentleman seems to be saying to the young man who was just standing outside of his stall, looking at the clothes. “It looks good on you!” I imagine him saying.
Fathers and grandpas are out with their little ones. It is a lazy Saturday afternoon, and the sun is shining brightly. There is no better thing to do than to hang out at the market.
I take off my jacket because it is too warm.
As we turn a corner, we come to a big corner shop selling toys. From the looks of it, it is a distributor. A grubby Spongebob Squarepants can be seen in a box of soft toys, oblivious to the copyright infringement it is probably a part of.
As we weave through the market, we start to get hungry and thirsty again. We hear the calls of the traders, beckoning us to sit down on tiny chairs, and have some çay or kahve. The call is irresistible. We stop for some tea and coffee, and to watch others go by.
© 2026 Kin Mun "mrbrown" Lee
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