Rüstem Kitabevi

North Nicosia (Lefkoşa)


This historic bookshop, crammed to the rafters with books, has plenty of secondhand and some new titles (as well as many English-language reads). It also does lunches of traditional Cypriot home-cooking in the upstairs salon, where you dine, surrounded by books, on classic dishes such as stuffed vine leaves and köfte (grilled meatballs).

The ground floor also has a branch of Gloria Jean's Coffee and a shady outside patio.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby North Nicosia (Lefkoşa) attractions

1. Colonial Law Courts

0.08 MILES

This finely preserved example of colonial architecture was built during British rule in 1901. Today it carries on with its original function as the North…

2. Kumarcılar Han

0.11 MILES

This caravanserai is a smaller version of the neighbouring Büyük Han and was built in the early 18th century. Today its courtyard hosts cafes, and the…

3. Büyük Han

0.13 MILES

The Büyük Han is Cyprus' best-preserved example of Ottoman caravanserai architecture. Built in 1572 by the first Ottoman governor of Cyprus, Lala Mustafa…

4. Samanbahçe Quarter

0.15 MILES

This neighbourhood of whitewashed terraced cottages, tucked off Girne Caddesi, was Cyprus' first social housing project. Built in the early 20th century,…

5. Dr Fazil Küçük Museum

0.16 MILES

Doctor, newspaper publisher and politician Fazil Küçük was the Turkish Cypriot community's leader from the 1940s to '60s; when the Republic of Cyprus was…

6. Dervish Pasha Mansion

0.18 MILES

This small ethnographic museum is housed in a 19th-century mansion. Built in 1807, it belonged to wealthy a Turkish Cypriot, Derviş Paşa, who published…

7. Selimiye Mosque

0.19 MILES

North Nicosia’s most prominent landmark (also clearly visible from the southern half of the city), the Selimiye Mosque is a beautiful mongrel of a…

8. Bedestan

0.21 MILES

Renovated as part of the Nicosia Master Plan, the imposing Bedestan dates from the 6th century, when it was built as a small Byzantine chapel. It was…