An Armchair Traveller's History of Istanbul: City of Forgetting and Remembering

Description

The great crossroads, Istanbul has absorbed several millennia of different influences; it is both modern and ancient, fluid and constant. Standing at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, Istanbul is a tapestry of the different cultures and ideas that have shaped it over time. It has seen merchants, travelers, different religions, and politics all stamp their mark. Richard Tillinghast has watched the city evolve and he beautifully evokes its many distinct neighborhoods. Richard Tillinghast is the author of "Finding Ireland: A Poet's Explorations of Irish Literature and Culture" (2009). An Armchair Traveller’s History of Istanbul Contents Part I: Arrival 1. First Impressions 2. Istanbul and Constantinople 3. Istanbul As It Used To Be 4. Neighbourhoods 5. Türkçe Part II: Roman and Byzantine Constantinople 6. Constantine the Great 7. Justinian and Theodora: A walk through imperial Constantinople 8. The Holy City 9. Looking at Byzantine Art 10. Haghia Sophia and Ayasofya Part III: Ottoman Istanbul 11. Mehmed the Conqueror 12. Mehmed the Conqueror and Gentile Bellini 13. Looking at Islamic Art 14. Sinan, Imperial Architect 15. Topkapı Palace 16. The Archæological Museum and the Çinili Köşk 17. In the Shadow of the Blue Mosque 18. Ahmed III 19. A Walk through Sultanahmet beyond Haghia Sophia 20. A Gem by Sinan, and the ‘Little Ayasofya’ Part IV: Modern Istanbul 21. Atatürk and the Difficult Birth of Nodern Turkey 22. The Worldly City: Beyoğlu and Galata 23. Orhan Pamuk’s Istanbul 24. The Turkish Kitchen 25. Crossing over into Asia 26. Dervishes 27. The Lost World of the Pashas 28. The Call to Prayer 29. The Bosphorus 30. Foreigners, Expats and Blow-ins 31. Beyazit: Café and Mosque 32. Constantinople, Cavafy and the Mediterranean World Short Chronology Rulers of Istanbul Further Reading Historical Gazetteer A Brief Guide to Turkish Pronunciation Glossary of Turkish Words Acknowledgements Author’s Note