Typical souvenirs

By buying a typical souvenir, you will bring a piece of Turkey home with you. 

The moment you enter Turkey and start looking around, you immediately notice the “Nazar Boncugu” or Evil Eye everywhere. They are hung from car rearview mirrors, worn as jewelry or nailed to the outside of houses or in an entryway. In Turkey, the evil eye is a charm to protect your loved ones from someone casting the evil eye on them. If you are young or beautiful or have lots of money, or if there is any reason for someone to be jealous of you, then you definitely need this protection. Young children and animals are the most susceptible to the evil eye, so you will often see a small safety pin with a tiny blue eye bead on it pinned to the back of the child’s sweater.  While it’s ok to buy the Nazar Boncuk for yourself, it is much more effective if it is given as a gift to those who you believe need protection. If the evil eye breaks, then it means that you used the magic in it, it did its job, and you have been protected.