12 Secondhand Bookshops in Istanbul Worth Seeking Out

If you like the smell of old paper and the idea of getting lost among rare books, vinyl records, and comics, the secondhand bookshops Istanbul still has are worth a detour. Locals call them sahafs, and while some still run on conversation over tea as much as on sales, others have turned into plain stationery shops. Skip those. The twelve below still keep the old sahaf culture very much alive.

1. Arşiv Sahaf, Ortaköy

Naim Bey has run Arşiv Sahaf for over 30 years, and for him it stopped being just a job a long time ago. His shop, a favorite in Ortaköy, holds books in nearly every language. Can’t find a title on the shelves? Ask him directly. He keeps close to 100,000 more books off-site.

Dereboyu Caddesi, Dere Çıkmazı Sokak 20/5, Ortaköy, Istanbul | +90 212 227 40 76

2. Sahaf Nazım Hikmet

Named after the poet Nazım Hikmet, the shop is small. Its space, though, packs in a real trove of titles, the shelves can surprise you mid-browse, and over the years it has become a regular stop for well-known Turkish authors hunting for something specific.

Hocazade Sk. No: 24, Kaptan Mustafa Çelebi, Beyoğlu, Istanbul | +90 212 243 1001

3. Denizler Kitabevi, Beyoğlu

Denizler Kitabevi (kitabevi means “bookshop”) stands out for its interior as much as its stock. It closed for a stretch. Since reopening, its atmosphere alone is worth the visit, never mind the rare titles on the shelves.

İstiklal Cd. 199, Beyoğlu, Istanbul | +90 212 243 3174

4. İmge Sahaf, Kadıköy

Walk a little uphill from Kadıköy’s well-known Akmar Pasajı arcade and you’ll land at İmge Sahaf.

Alongside general stock, it carries a number of genuinely rare and valuable finds, which the shop also lists with prices on its own website for browsing ahead of a visit.

Güneşli Bahçe Sok. 41/A, Kadıköy, Istanbul | +90 216 449 3964 | imgesahaf.com

5. Sahaf Dil-Tarih

Sahaf Dil-Tarih, run by Sami Önal, a graduate in Turkish language and literature, marked 20 years in business shortly before this piece was first written. Önal opened the shop to put his roughly 30,000 books in front of fellow readers. Expect history, literature, art, and philosophy. Turkology scholars are regulars.

Igrıp Sok. 24, Fenerbahçe, Istanbul | +90 216 345 10 79

6. Gezegen Sahaf, Beyoğlu

Gezegen Sahaf is young by sahaf standards. It opened in 2007 inside the Aslıhan Sahaflar Çarşısı book market, and its shelves run from Turkish to Ottoman, English, and German, with a solid share of rare and out-of-print editions mixed in.

Aslıhan Sahaflar Çarşısı, Galatasaray, Beyoğlu, Istanbul | +90 212 293 94 87

7. Simurg Kitabevi & Sahaf

Simurg ranks among Istanbul’s oldest and best-known sahafs, with books on its shelves dating back to the 1500s. It has built up such a loyal following that staff reportedly call regular customers directly when something significant comes in, often before it ever reaches the shelf. That’s easy to miss on a first visit: at a good sahaf, the best books may never make it to the shelves at all.

Kalyoncu Kulluğu Cd. No: 13, Beyoğlu, Istanbul | +90 212 292 47 47 | simurg.com.tr

8. Barış Sahaf, Moda

Barış Sahaf’s story goes back to 1966, when Halil Bingöl, who sold books in the historic Sahaflar Çarşısı near the Grand Bazaar, passed the business to Barış Bingöl.

The shop carries titles in multiple languages, plus old IDs, documents, photographs, and personal memoirs.

Mühürdar Cd. No: 71, Moda, Istanbul | +90 216 414 07 75

9. Narteks Sahaf

Think of a sahaf as just a shop and you’ll miss half the point. It’s as much a place for conversation as it is for buying books, and Narteks proves it. Make time to talk books with Sıtkı Bey, a retired teacher.

Hüseyinağa Mah., Meşrutiyet Cad. 10, Aslıhan Pasajı, Beyoğlu, Istanbul | +90 212 245 48 54

10. Librairie de Pera

The name translates from French as “the Pera bookshop,” and for decades that’s exactly where you’d find it. After roughly 90 years in the neighborhood, rising rents eventually pushed Librairie de Pera out of Pera, a telling sign of how little value some landlords place on books and reading. It now continues its auctions for collectors from a new base in Kadıköy.

Caferağa Mahallesi, Mühürdar Caddesi, Kınaytürk Ap. No: 58/8, Kat: 2, Kadıköy, Istanbul | +90 850 346 78 70

11. Sahaf Turkuaz

A regular stop for academics and researchers, Sahaf Turkuaz was founded in 2001 by Emin Nedret İşli and Püzant Akbaş. Beyond its own well-kept archive, the shop supplies reference books to libraries and research centers around the country.

Gazeteci Erol Dernek Sokak, Erman Han, No: 5, Kat: 3, Daire: 7, Beyoğlu, Istanbul | +90 212 245 45 88

12. Cihannüma Sahaf

Run by Cihangir Demiroğlu and his wife, this small sahaf near Taksim is stocked with postcards, manuscripts, antique vinyl records, and old photographs.

If Sahaf Turkuaz is the stop for researchers after reference volumes, this is the one for anyone hunting an old postcard or a record. If you’re already walking İstiklal Caddesi, it’s an easy side trip.

İstiklal Caddesi, Büyükparmakkapı, Hasnun Galip Sokak, No: 1, Daire B, Beyoğlu, Istanbul | +90 212 293 96 07

Sources: For news on Türkiye’s books and literary scene, see Daily Sabah’s Arts section. If you’d rather explore with a guide, TÜRSAB, the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies, is the official body for the country’s licensed travel agencies.