This guide includes an encyclopaedic and historical section about Istanbul and 232 itineraries. A practical section listing addresses and telephone numbers, opening times of museums and details on hotels, bars, restaurants, nightlife, theatres and shopping is also included. The encyclopaedic and historical section looks at the natural history of Istanbul, the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara; the history of the area from Byzantium and the eastern empire to Constantinople, the Ottoman empire and the 20th century; language – the origins of the Turkish language; architecture – a thematic dictionary of Byzantine and Ottoman architecture, the buildings of Suleiman the Magnificent and Sinan and the Topkapi Palace; lifestyle – Islam music, theatre, Turkish baths, the decorative arts, kilims, carpets, Iznik, Turkish cooking and cafes; painting – Turkish miniatures, European orientalists. The book also looks at Istanbul as seen by writers: Mary Montague, Flaubert, Kemal and Guersel. There are also 10 detailed itineraries, including the seven hills of the city, the Topkapi, the Seraglio, Santa Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Mosque of Suleiman, the Bazaar and the Golden Horn. There are also 6 itineraries outside the city, including the Bosphorus and the Islands, the Ottoman capitals Bursa and Edirne, the Dardanelles and Troy.
416 Pages