Nestled behind the imposing Beyazıt mosque, just a stone's throw from the entrance to the fabled Grand Bazaar, sits a bazaar of a different type.

No touristy knick-knacks, no high-pressure carpet salesmen, just stacks and stacks of books of all kinds. You'll find antique religious works next door to the latest edition Microsoft Windows Certified Systems Engineer study guides (in Turkish, of course, but a mouse is a mouse, right?).

Old men thoughtfully sip at their tea while browsing through brittle pages from hundreds of years ago, and young men in long beards wave pamphlets urgently to underscore their points in esoteric religious debates.

Getting there

Take the tram to the Beyazıt-Kapalıçarşı (Grand Bazaar) station. You will see a giant mosque. Walk around the building until you pass through an archway and find yourself surrounded by books.