Dodging the south wall of the cathedral between it and the Bedestan, beyond the garden cafe, you walk beneath the arch of one of the enormous ramparts to reach the Sultan`s Library (entrance fee includes entry into the Lapidary Museum) located at the backside of the cathedral. It was dedicated to Sultan Mahmoud, who had it built in the early 19th century. The warden opens up the tall doors of the library that lead into the square room enclosed from ground to ceiling with bookcases. The gilded ceiling rail under the slight vaulted roof has writings from a poem dedicated to the sultan. From the library, you can study the back end of the cathedral/mosque, with its sophisticated entrance way, now closed. In the mixture of elements so typical of Lefkosa, Greek white marble columns flank the doorway, with pictures of green cypress trees either side of Arabic manuscripts from the Koran. If you are fortunate enough to be visiting when the bookshelves are full, you will find a collection of books in Turkish, Arabic and Persian. Unluckily, the books appear to be permanently addressed elsewhere nowadays, and you may well doubt whether it was worth paying the entrance fee. A visit to the Lapidary Museum, including in the fee, will do little to change this opinion.