CITY · TURKEYBooks set in Istanbul
41.008, 28.978
34 books · 21 authors · 1900–2025
34 books here
Most-set authors
Orhan Pamuk (7) · Elif Shafak (6) · Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar (2) · Olga Tokarczuk (2) · Pierre Loti (1) · Suat Dervis (1)
Genres
literary fiction (16) · historical fiction (4) · mystery & crime (1) · young adult (1) · thriller & suspense (1)
Books set here
Set in Istanbul (26)
10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World
Elif Shafak
Prostitution district and streets
A Mind at Peace
Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar
pre-war Istanbul setting
Aziyade
Pierre Loti
Ottoman Istanbul 1876-1877
In the Shadow of the Yali
Suat Dervis
Bosphorus yali mansions Istanbul
Istanbul Istanbul
Burhan Sonmez
Prison cells beneath Istanbul
Istanbul: Memories and the City
Orhan Pamuk
Pamuk childhood Istanbul memoir
Last Train to Istanbul
Ayse Kulin
WWII Istanbul to Europe train
My Name Is Red
Orhan Pamuk
Ottoman Istanbul, 1591
The Architect's Apprentice
Elif Shafak
Ottoman imperial capital, mosque construction
The Bastard of Istanbul
Elif Shafak
Kazanci family home and narrative core
The Black Book
Orhan Pamuk
city-spanning search and mystery
The Clown and His Daughter
Halide Edib Adivar
Sinekli Bakkal neighbourhood Istanbul
The Flea Palace
Elif Shafak
Bonbon Palace apartment building
The Janissary Tree
Jason Goodwin
Ottoman Istanbul 1836
The Lost Word
Oya Baydar
Blue Mosque attack setting
The Museum of Innocence
Orhan Pamuk
Upper-class Istanbul backdrop
The New Life
Orhan Pamuk
student discovers transformative book
The Palace of Dreams
Ismail Kadare
Primary setting — Ottoman Istanbul, Palace of Dreams
The Sea-Crossed Fisherman
Yashar Kemal
Istanbul fishermen and dolphins
The Sultan's Seal
Jenny White
Late Ottoman Istanbul 1886
The Time Regulation Institute
Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar
primary city setting
The White Castle
Orhan Pamuk
17th-century Constantinople
Three Daughters of Eve
Elif Shafak
Childhood home and present-day
The Dervish House
Ian McDonald
near-future dervish house hub
Death's End
Liu Cixin
Opening siege of Constantinople
Mediterranean Waltz
Buket Uzuner
historic mixed neighborhood
Also featuring Istanbul (8)
A Strangeness in My Mind
Orhan Pamuk
Istanbul street-vendor life
Inferno
Dan Brown
Hagia Sophia, climax location
London Calling
James Ponti
where Cairo's sister disappears
Neuromancer
William Gibson
second act setting
The Book of Jacob
Olga Tokarczuk
Ottoman Empire sections; Jacob Frank's conversion and exile in the empire
The Books of Jacob
Olga Tokarczuk
Franks journey through Ottoman Empire
The Forty Rules of Love
Elif Shafak
Modern protagonist Ella lives here
The Persian
David McCloskey
operational waypoint
Notable locations in Istanbul
Beyoğlu1Çukurcuma, Beyoğlu1Duttepe1Hagia Sophia1Kuzguncuk, Istanbul1
Nearby books
Cloud Cuckoo Land
Anthony Doerr
0 km · Constantinople
Death's End
Liu Cixin
0 km · Hagia Sophia
The Museum of Innocence
Orhan Pamuk
3 km · Çukurcuma, Beyoğlu
The Dervish House
Ian McDonald
3 km · Beyoğlu
Mediterranean Waltz
Buket Uzuner
6 km · Kuzguncuk, Istanbul
A Strangeness in My Mind
Orhan Pamuk
8 km · Duttepe
Summerhouse
Yigit Karaahmet
19 km · Büyükada