FROM WITH LOVE.

Every book has a different world... But they can be at same place.

Second Hand-Book Bazaar Sahaflar Çarşısı, the Second-hand Book Bazaar, nestles in an ancient, courtyard between the Beyazıt Mosque and Fesciler entrance to the Covered Bazaar. One of İstanbul's oldest markets, the Bazaar is built on the same site as the Chartoprateia, which used to be the book and paper market of Byzantium. However, it was only at the end of the 18th century that booksellers began to migrate across from the Covered Bazaar and set up shop in the courtyard. Printing and publishing legislation introduced soon after enabled the trade to expand in a major way and take over the entire market, which from then on became known as the Sahaflar Çarşısı. Well into this century the market remained a focal point for the sale and distribution of books within the Ottoman Empire, as well as a gathering spot for İstanbul's intellectual and literary circles. However, over the last half century or so, the market has lost much of its significance with the inevitable proliferation of modern bookstores across the city All the same; tattered ancient volumes are still to be found beside the gleaming new editions. The Bazaar is open daily except Sundays and public holidays, when the main stores are closed. The smaller stores, however, tend to open every day.

Obelisk of Theodosius The Obelisk of Theodosius is the Ancient Egyptian obelisk of Pharaoh Tutmoses III which was re-erected in the Hippodrome of Constantinople by the Roman emperor Theodosius I who ruled AD. The obelisk was first set up by Tutmoses III (1479–1425 BC) at the great temple of Karnak. It is made out of red granite from Aswan and was originally 30m tall. The lower part was damaged in antiquity, probably during its transport or re-erection, and so the obelisk today is only 18.54m (or 19.6m) high, or 25.6m if the base is included. Between the four corners of the obelisk and the pedestal are four bronze cubes, used in its transportation and re-erection. Each of its four faces has a single central column of inscription, celebrating Tutmoses III's victory on the banks of the river Euphrates in 1450 BC. The Roman emperor Constantius II ( AD) had it and another obelisk transported along the river Nile to Alexandria to commemorate his ventennalia (20 years on the throne) in 357. The other obelisk was erected in the Circus Maximus in Rome in the autumn of that year and is today known as the Lateran obelisk. The second obelisk remained in Alexandria until 390, when Theodosius I had it transported to Constantinople and put up in the Hippodrome.

GRAND BAZAAR Sprawling over a huge area in the city center, Kapali Çarsi (kah-pah-luh chahr-shuh; "Covered Market") was the first shopping mall ever built. During Byzantine times, this was the site of a bustling market; when the Ottomans arrived, it grew bigger and more diverse. The prime location attracted guilds, manufacturers, and traders, and it grew quickly — its separate chunks were eventually connected and roofed to form a single market hall. Before long, the Grand Bazaar became the center for trade in the entire Ottoman Empire. At its prime, the market was locked down and guarded by more than a hundred soldiers every night, like a fortified castle. The Grand Bazaar remained Turkey's commercial hub — for both locals and international traders — through the 1950s. Its 4,000 shops were bursting with everything you can imagine, from jewelry to silk clothing, and traditional copperware to exotic, Oriental imports. But then the Grand Bazaar was discovered by travelers seeking the ultimate "Oriental market" experience. Prodded by shopaholic tourists with fat wallets, prices and rents skyrocketed, and soon modest shopkeepers and manufacturers found themselves unable to compete with the big money circulating through the bazaar's lanes. These humble merchants moved outside the bazaar, displaced by souvenir and carpet shops. Today's Grand Bazaar sells ten times more jewelry than it used to. While tourists find it plenty atmospheric, locals now consider its flavor more Western than Oriental. And yet, even though the bazaar has lost some of its traditional ambience, enough artifacts remain to make it an irreplaceable Istanbul experience. by Uğurcan Ağcaoğlu