Imperial Istanbul: A Traveller's Guide Includes Iznik, Bursa and Edirne

Rating:
Summary: Much more than you would expect from a travel guide
Review: I've been browsing through piles of travel literature lately to get some ideas about possible excursions during an upcoming semester in Malta, and the attractive cover and title of Ms. Taylor's book immediately caught my eye. Suffice it to say that she has got me hooked on the idea of going to Istanbul.

This is an amazingly detailed, well organized guide to the architecture and monuments of late-Byzantine Constantinople and Ottoman Istanbul. While someone not well-read in Turkish history probably wouldn't appreciate many of the details Ms. Taylor goes into, I agree with John Julius Norwich's verdict: "I shall certainly never go to Istanbul again without this book."

This is the sort of guide that allows you to spend hours in a single building, to learn about everything you're looking at. We read, for instance, about the Biblical origins of the image on the north side of the apsidal arch in the Church of St. Savior Chora and get a full three pages on the 19th-century Dolmabahçe Sarayi. A whole chapter is devoted to late-Ottoman mosques. Taylor nicely tells us about the architectural history of the Russian and Swedish embassies and the 18th-century Dutch Chapel. She throws in three excellent chapters on Iznik, Bursa, and Edirne. Finally, she gives impeccable directions for travel by foot and car.

But "Imperial Istanbul" isn't just a dry architectural catalogue. It's full of interesting stories that give some human meaning to arches and columns and fountains. For instance, we read about the Cellât Çesmesi ("the executioner's fountain") in the Topkapi Sarayi: "The Cellât Çesmesi was used by the Chief Executioner, who was also the Head Gardener, for washing his hands and sword after executions." And "on the hills above Aynalikavak Kasri are the remains of the Okmeydani, the place of the arrow, the imperial archery field which still has marble preserving for posterity the distance achieved by the Sultans' most remarkable shots... [Archery etiquette] was strict: first the Sultan would shoot his arrow, followed by the pashas and other invited dignitaries in their turn, all of whom doubtless took care not to exceed the Sultan's shot. And in order not to have to break off too long for prayers, a namazgâh, an alfresco mihrab niche, was erected on the Okmeydani in the 17th century by Sultan Murat IV." The author also relates some interesting personal experiences, such as one with Leila Hanim, the great-grand-daughter of Kibrisli Mehmet Emin Pasha, Grand Vizier three times in the reigns of Abdül Mecit I and Abdül Aziz.

You will, however, have to substitute this guide with others, because it doesn't cover things like accomodations and customs. That's just a fact, not a fault. There's no doubt in my mind that Ms. Taylor's book will never be surpassed. Billions and billions of stars!