Lonely Planet İstanbul Guide

From Kuyumcular Caddesi, turn sharp left into Perdahçılar Sokak (Street of the Polishers) and left again into Tekkeçiler Sokak (Street of the Skullcap Makers), home to marble sebils (public drinking fountains). Turn right into Zenneciler Sokak (Street of the Clothing Sellers) and you will soon come to a junction with another of the bazaar’s major thoroughfares: Sipahi Sokak (Street of the Cavalry Soldiers). Şark Kahvesi, a traditional coffeehouse, is on the corner. Turn left into Sipahi Sokak and walk until you return to Kalpakçılar Caddesi. Turn right and exit the bazaar from the Beyazıt Kapısı (Beyazıt Gate; Gate 7). Turn right again and then left into the first passage on the left, where you’ll find the Sahaflar Çarşısı ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Old Book Bazaar; Çadırcılar Caddesi, btwn Grand Bazaar & Beyazıt Mosque; j Beyazıt-Kapalı Çarşı) , a book and paper market established in Byzantine times. At the centre of its shady courtyard is a bust of İbrahim Müteferrika (1674–1745), who printed the first book in Turkey in 1732. To learn more about day-to-day life in the bazaar, go to www.mygrandbazaar.com, which profiles some of the people who work here.