Finding perfect reading solace in Sultanahmet Istanbul
In Sultanahmet, one can find several locations including shops and cafes storing a very good collection of English books. Not just shops, one can also enjoy reading even in numerous hotels and hostels as they too, maintain at least one small shelf for catering to their reading milieu.
Book Shops or (turkish Sahaflar)
No wonder, it is quite normal to see many tourists in Sultanahmet enjoy reading their favorite books while sipping hot coffee or tea in those leisure moments. The variety of books available for reading is not the usual tourist guides for the new visitors to this city of Turkey. In fact, the books are available in different fields of study, be it literature, history and so on. The list seems to be endless and certainly mind blowing.
Another good thing about the books available in Sultanahmet is that a large number of books are in English language. That’s something interesting and inviting for the visitors from English speaking countries. Istanbul has many bookshops and bookstores selling English-language books, with many of them being about culture, art and history. The covers of the books are elegant and glossy likely to catch the fancy of any passerby potential buyer. And many of these books demand long hours of serious reading. The books, whether non-fiction or fiction, are all priced at quite affordable rates. So, none of the British or even the American tourists will miss to grab a copy or two for them.
The city of Istanbul has also several of the popular literary and classic works on sale and also with Turkish translations. So, it is quite common to find many Turks holding Tolstoy in their hand or even the mysteries of the mysterious Agatha Christie.
Several hostels and hotels prefer to keep a shelf booked for the books of various varieties, probably those enjoying a wide readership among the hotel guests from various corners of the world. Among the books in the hotels include the ones left by the tourists most of which are often gothic thrillers or romances. These books are good enough to provide entertainment to any causal reader relaxing on a hotel terrace or even during a long journey on a plane back home.
Sahaflar Carsisi- The Old Book Bazaar-----
As you walk along the west side of the main street of the famous Grand Bazaar, you will come across a series of stalls and shops selling new as well as old books in different languages. Many of them have books in English language and can be bought after a bit of bargaining with the shopkeepers.
Sahhaf (Book Shop) ---
While talking about some of the good shops for getting books, there is one named Sahhaf. It is just about a block away from the famous Divanyolu Cad, just next to DoRemi, a store selling musical instruments. Here, one can find several English books in the shops apart from the books in other languages including French, Spanish, German and Arabic to cater to a wide variety of tourists from the world over.
Konya Pension Bookstore---
This bookstore is located at Akbiyik Cad., Terbiyik Sok., No. 15. As you walk down the stairs from the famous Konya Pension on the noisy backpacker’s street, you will be amazed and delighted by the huge variety of volumes of English-language books, about 4,000 in numbers. To help the visitors decide about which books suit their pocket, a list mentioning the price of various books is displayed on the wall. The books are arranged according to different categories. For example, you can find travel books, best sellers, novels, fiction, non-fiction aptly displayed in different sections for the convenience of the visitors. And the novels have been displayed in shelves in an alphabetical order by the author. You can reach here either through the gift shop upstairs or through the outdoor stairs.
Java Studio---
Java Studio is one of the best known places for browsing books of splendid variety. Located at Cankurtaran Mah., Dalbasti Sok., No. 13. Near the Arasta Bazaar and the Blue Mosque, just across the small street from the Hotel Blue House. This bookstore, in its tastefully furnished lounge, stores and displays exquisitely wide variety of used books and even some books offered at a bargain of two for one. Sounds interesting, isn’t it?
Book exchange in Istanbul---
In Istanbul, the Istanbul Book Exchange has been established only recently by a small group of expats having interest in literature. It involves a monthly meeting of people having keen interest in literature or reading. As compared to a book club where a member has to devote his time in studying a specified book or books on a chosen subject so as to discuss related aspects with the members in the meeting, the book exchange’s sole aim is to talk and do business of books. It does not involve any fees or charges nor is there any pre-established rule for exchange. So, whether you have many books or even no book at all, with book exchange, you can always take at least one book or even two books. However, it is good if you bring something (of course, a book) along with you.
The meeting of Istanbul Book Exchange is held on the third Sunday of every month at the fixed time of 1’o clock. The venue of this meet is fixed to be the FPPP (Kucuk Aya Sofya Cad., No. 39A, just two blocks towards south of the famous Arasta Bazaar, Sultanahmet). The café usually remains closed on the afternoons of Sundays; however, the chef does offer a small menu for those members of this book exchange who want to have lunch. If you, too, want to share your interests and ideas with the like minded literary minds of this book exchange, you are welcome to join this group. Just email your details at the address--- expatturk@gmail.com.
How can one forget to mention a quotation by a renowned writer, Emily Dickenson, who once said that books are a convenient way to take us back to our homes even though for a matter of few hours only.