CITY · TURKEYBooks set in Istanbul
41.008, 28.978
20 books · 10 authors · 1949–2025
20 books here
Most-set authors
Elif Shafak (6) · Orhan Pamuk (5) · Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar (2) · Dan Brown (1) · James Ponti (1) · William Gibson (1)
Genres
literary fiction (4) · mystery & crime (1)
Books set here
Set in Istanbul (13)
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
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 Flea Palace
Elif Shafak
Bonbon Palace apartment building
The Museum of Innocence
Orhan Pamuk
Upper-class Istanbul backdrop
The New Life
Orhan Pamuk
student discovers transformative book
The Time Regulation Institute
Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar
primary city setting
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
Also featuring Istanbul (7)
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 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