Last week, we were on a highly anticipated trip to Türkiye that I had booked more than six months ago. Needless to say, subsequent events produced palpable anxiety and uncertainty as to whether plans would be forfeited, but thankfully we were able to go.
Upon arrival in Istanbul, we chose the economical option of public transport to get to our hotel, which involved some confusion and multiple changes between lines (Metro and tram). One of the Metro stations had this technological marvel that I found both amusing and brilliant: the Perfumatic. For 10 Turkish liras (at the time of this writing, approximately 20 cents), you can get a spray of a perfume. They are even helpfully labelled as for women, men, or unisex.
Perfume is ubiquitous in Istanbul, and generally strong, smoky, and woody (but not the sweet woody ambers pervading US metropolises). Many bazaars sell perfume, along with baklava, Turkish delights, herbal tea blends, and the less obvious saffron and menthol (which may take the form of crystals to dissolve in water for a potent vapor).
We started our first full day exploring the historical sites in the Sultanahmet area. The architecture is stunning and reflects centuries of enhancements and refinements.
Topkapı Palace is easily a half-day visit, as the grounds are vast and the treasures in the museum are many. (And some of the queues are long.)
The tulip festival in Istanbul takes place in April, and we caught the tail end of peak bloom. Gülhane Park is one of the larger parks in the central area and boasted an abundance of tulips of all kinds—a feast for the eyes, and to a lesser degree for the nose, as the flowers keep their green, fresh, and slightly nectary scent close.
If all this talk of beauty and flora is making you hungry, let me assure you that the food in Türkiye is highly flavorful and satisfying for omnivores and vegetarians alike. Breakfast can be a full spread called serpme, featuring egg-based hot dishes, cheeses, olives, several nut-based sauces, and fruit jams (sour cherry and wild apricot). Black tea (çay) is served often with every meal in tulip-shaped glasses.
For a snack, Maraş ice cream is sold on the streets with a side of showmanship, as it’s very dense and can be manipulated like dough, enabling all sorts of tricks. It’s made with goat’s milk and salep (orchid tuber) is added to make it stretchy while mastic makes it chewy.
If slow cooking (or more showmanship) is up your alley, try a testi kebap—lamb and beef or vegetables roasted in a clay pot and broken open while still on fire. No water is added so the food is marinated in its own juice.
On to perfume in earnest, the first perfumery I visited was Atelier Rebul at Galataport. They have fragrance collections based on Istanbul. Unfortunately, my spring pollen allergies were giving my nose a hard time that day, and I found the totality of fragrances in the cozy space overwhelming, so did not get to give their perfumes a fair try. Fortunately, the toiletries in one of our hotels were from their original Istanbul series, so I got to experience the spicy, woody signature scent with featured notes of bergamot, jasmine, clove, sandalwood, and vanilla.
My next perfume destination was the one I had looked forward to the most, ever since I read an in-depth article about it on Fragrantica from 2023. Parfumane is part perfume museum and part shop (per the website, “perfume gallery and boutique”), showcasing historical artifacts and raw materials alongside specially developed perfume collections. The main location is a (relatively quiet) corner of the Grand Bazaar, opposite a #saltbae restaurant.
Parfumane also has an extensive selection of natural oud incense (buhur), which the sales associate kindly demonstrated on a charcoal burner. The amount of smoke it generated would certainly set the smoke alarms off in our apartment, but the deep, rich aroma was tempting to bring back as a keepsake.
Instead, a concentrated perfume oil from their Silkroad collection became my souvenir—a limited edition in a camel-stomach bottle. İpek Yolu (Silk Road) is a well-blended perfume with top notes of bergamot, coffee, and lavender; middle notes of buhur, cardamom, jasmine, patchouli, and rose; base notes of amber, labdanum, leather, musk, and vanilla. Only this perfume is offered in this special bottle because camels were the means of transport for merchants and goods along the Silk Road.
Parfumane has a few other locations, including one in the fashionable district of Nişantaşı. We were in that area only briefly and my goal there was to visit Nokta, a niche perfumery that stocks several international and Turkish brands, including Pekji, Alghabra, Unique’e Luxury, and Seven Gates, which was new to me. I was intrigued by the “digital art” visuals and contrasting notes in the Seven Gates Duality Collection, so I bought the eau de parfum discovery set (and received a discount because I paid cash). Only later did I notice that their logo of seven arches is the same as that of Nokta, although no information seems to be available regarding any shared ownership.
Istanbul is such a dynamic city, hilly, and heavily populated—making for an intensive, immersive experience; and although we packed a lot into a few days, there’s so much more we haven’t seen. I hope there will be a next time. In the meantime, I keep sliding open my wooden box of İpek Yolu and inhaling the musky, floral notes that have escaped from the miniature bottle to reminisce.
Nose Prose 
OOOOHHH! Istanbul! What a city. I’ve not done any perfume stuff there but did get to see Omar (Pekji) and spend an evening talking all things perfume. We only spent a couple of nights there on a bigger tour but it’s on the list to revisit.
Thanks for sharing your adventures. LOVE reading travelogues.
Portia xx
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I love reading yours as well, Portia! How lovely that you got to meet Ömer İpekçi. Wish I got to hang out with more perfume people in person. Hope you get to revisit soon!
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Luckily Omar was already a friend.
Do you not meet perfume people through the blog? Pick some you like and interview them. They are mostly amazing, sweet and friendly. They love to answer a few well thought out questions that will also shine a light on whatever is their newest and maybe some back catalogue.
Try it.
Portia xx
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Well, I’ve certainly met some lovely fellow perfume bloggers! 😉 As for brand owners, my readership is very small and as I’m not on social media to promote my blog, I’ve not considered it quite a fair exchange in terms of exposure so far. I have met some wonderful perfume creators at in-person events, although those occasions have been few and far between. Appreciate your advice and encouragement!
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You’d be surprised Nose Prose. If people google the company or creator’s name and your interview comes up it will work for both of you.
Keep it to a 5 or 7 question, let the last one be, “What is coming up for you personally and your brand.” Let them have an open moment to share and shine.
Neela Vermeire, Mandy Aftel, Ellen Covey and Dawn Spencer Hurwitz have always been incredibly generous with their time for us here at APJ. They might be a god place to start.
Portia xx
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Thank you for the recs, Portia!
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Omar is so dryly humorous
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That might have flown directly over my head Alityke
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Istanbul is on my bucket list. Though maybe I would go as part of an accompanied tour. My days of enjoying boisterous crowds is over. The Grand Bazaar would be overwhelming.
Thank you for sharing your travelogue.
I have Pekji’s original discovery box from when Omar first started. I must dig them out again
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There were many guided tours at all the sites as well as through the city itself.
Pekji’s discovery set was sold out at Nokta, while the bottles were on a top shelf with only a couple of testers. I got to try Blacklight, a greenish leather, and I’m blanking on what the other one was. Did you have a favorite from the collection?
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Omar was a sort of perfume friend & it was a long time ago. Blacklight wasn’t part of the collection then. I must dig them out & resniff
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I’m sort of wistful that I missed the heyday of making perfume friends, but I’m grateful for the ones I have now!
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Once again, thank you for taking us on your latest adventure, Nose Prose. Among the Turkish brands I’m most familiar with is Alghabra. There are only a few in their line that I haven’t had the chance to try. My favorites from Alghabra are Labyrinth of Spices, City of Jasmine, Eye of Seven Hills, and Cuban Tobacco. I thoroughly enjoy their perfumes.
The Perfumatic was incredibly entertaining, showcasing the diverse ways in which fragrances can be enjoyed. From the ancient architecture, delectable food, captivating fragrances, and the enchanting tuplid festival, it was evident that this was a truly remarkable experience. Thank you for sharing this with us.
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I feel that you’ve summarized it better than I could, Flaconneur! I remember you’ve written about Alghabra before, and they certainly have an impressive collection. Unfortunately Nokta didn’t have a discovery set, but I was offered a spray of Ottoman Treasure on a scent strip, with notes including white oud, cistus, olibanum, and moss. It looks to be one of the newer ones.
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I’ve sampled Ottoman Treasure and found it quite pleasant. Lucky Scent typically carries a discovery set from Alghabra, which includes 18 fragrances from their collection. However, it’s not inexpensive, and it currently seems to be out of stock.
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It sounds like such a memorable experience from start to finish. Even the Perfumatic machine with its dupes tells me this country takes perfume very seriously. I’m sure the İpek Yolu must take you back each time you smell it. I’d imagine that Istanbul provides olfactory stimulation beyond perfumes. A place I hope to visit one day. Such a wonderful post!
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It was indeed memorable, especially as everything was new to us. You are right about the abundant olfactory stimulation beyond perfumes, including from food and cigarettes, often a mixture of many things including perfumes. Dedicated spaces have their own distinctive scents as well. Dupes seem quite prevalent—at one of the shops at an airport, there was a whole section for them. People smelled good, though, and there was a particular rosy, smoky fragrance that I caught whiffs of a couple of times that I wish I knew what it was!
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Yes, not the best timing, Nose Prose! I’m glad you were able to go, though. Love that Perfumatic! I’ve never seen that before. The Parfumane looks fascinating. Good that you could take some perfume oil home to remind you of the trip. Great photos, and thanks for taking us along as always.
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Thanks, and I’m glad you enjoyed the (far less crowded) armchair travel!
Despite the tensions, the touristy areas were still full of tourists, including from the US and many from East Asia.
Parfumane is definitely worth a visit for perfume lovers and in general. After escaping some very aggressive sales people in other parts of the Grand Bazaar and elsewhere, it was a breath of fresh air (no pun intended) to browse slowly and smell almost everything in the boutique at leisure. The sales assistant was attentive but never pushy, so it felt more like hanging out with someone who also enjoyed perfume.
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