The 20th work of the Sermet Muhtar Istanbul Library is  Structures and Spaces in Old Istanbul . The author's articles on the structures, buildings, and spaces of old Istanbul, which he penned between 1931 and 1973 for newspapers such as  Akşam, Son Posta, and Tasvir-i Efkâr; magazines such as İstanbul Belediye Mecmuası, Yeni Mecmua, Aydede,  Amcabey,  Resimli Tarih Mecmuası, and Tarih Hazinesi; and for the Istanbul Encyclopedia, have been compiled and brought together in book form under the title  Structures and Spaces in Old Istanbul .

In the book, Historical Spaces of old Istanbul, such as bridges, schools, dervish lodges, tombs, mosques, bazaars, walls, dams, arches, water gauges, docks, towers, government offices, museums, and apartment buildings; Shopping Spaces, containing observations about the era's famous stores, shopping venues, markets, and bazaars; Entertainment Spaces, where coffeehouses, theaters, cinemas, gardens, and farms are described; Dining Spaces, featuring famous restaurants, pastry shops, and confectioners; Hotels; and Places of Indulgence have been grouped into separate sections. And the articles in each section have been arranged chronologically within themselves.

Spaces where social life emerges in all its vividness exhibit different forms from era to era and time to time, granting new appearances to the human-space relationship. Like a mirror of society, space offers a constant movement and knowledge of life from space to human, and from human to space. This work tells the people of today about the relationships of old Istanbul's people with the spaces that shaped their social life and bestowed vitality upon it, conveying the past life of "Beloved Istanbul," which has now faded into oblivion, in all its states and facets.