Old Bazzar

Last-minute lokum and magnets in ESB’s international airside

Old Bazzar sits in the international terminal after security and runs 7/24, so it catches the “oh no, I forgot gifts” crowd on late departures. The shop pulls together boxed lokum, mixed nuts, spices, keychains and fridge magnets in one corner, all clearly pitched at outbound passengers who skipped Ankara’s Ulus or Kızılay markets.

Most lokum and nut options come in pre-packaged gift boxes, typically 250 g to 1 kg, with fixed prices and no kilo discounts like you’d see in city bazaars. Reviewers mention grabbing mixed nuts and Turkish delight here and later spotting the same brands in Ankara for noticeably less. Think of it as paying for the location inside ESB’s international terminal, not for rare or artisan brands.

Several reviews estimate prices at roughly 1.5–2x Ankara city shops, including basic magnets and standard boxed sweets. The selection leans heavily on recognizable factory brands and standardized souvenir designs rather than small‑producer or handmade items. A Google Maps reviewer calls it “OK for last minute sweets and magnets but double the city price,” which lines up with the Reddit threads warning about airport sweet prices.

Regulars on r/Turkey say they buy lokum at Hafiz Mustafa or neighborhood patisseries in town and only use airport spots like Old Bazzar when they genuinely forget gifts. If you do buy here, grab sealed boxes with printed production and expiry dates, skip anything sold as “special” without clear branding, and set a hard limit in lira before you walk in so the markup doesn’t sting too much.