Category: İSTANBUL

I’ve been living in Istanbul for many years and have seen numerous changes and casualties in the bookshop scene over the last decade, with several independents closing their doors for the last time. Some have survived – thanks to specialized literary niches or bookshop/café style shopping experiences that you don’t get when shopping from online retailers – and some new ones have opened in the last few years. There are many bookstores in Istanbul, but most are part of large chains or are dedicated to books in Turkish. Below is a list of Istanbul’s independent bookstores that also stock a range of English titles. Many of them are located within walking distance from one another at the literary heart of the city, Beyoglu and also Besiktas and Nisantasi.