Barbara Nadel's The Ottoman Cage is a spicy thriller set in Istanbul's back alleys. Inspector Cetin Ikmen and forensic pathologist Arto Sarkissian have been friends since childhood, and their work together in Istanbul's criminal justice system has only served to cement their friendship. When they're both called to a flat to investigate the death of a twenty-year-old, there is no reason to think their relationship will alter. The case, however, is a strange one. Ikmen learns from the neighbours that they have never seen the man enter or leave the flat. The only visitor they're aware of is a solitary, well-dressed Armenian. Stranger still is that the limbs of the body are withered, and the victim seems to have been kept prisoner inside a gilded cage. What is it that's making Ikmen's old friend Arto, himself an Armenian, especially uncomfortable about the case?
Brothers bound by blood but fated to be enemies. Can their Empire survive or will it crumble into myth? Istanbul, 1903. Since his younger brother usurped the Imperial throne, Sultan Murad V has been imprisoned with his family for nearly thirty years. The new century heralds immense change. Anarchy and revolution threaten the established order. Powerful enemies plot the fall of the once mighty Ottoman Empire. Only death will bring freedom to the enlightened former sultan. But the waters of the Bosphorus run deep: assassins lurk in shadows, intrigue abounds, and scandal in the family threatens to bring destruction of all that he holds dear… For over six hundred years the history of the Turks and their vast and powerful Empire has been inextricably linked to the Ottoman dynasty. Can this extraordinary family, and the Empire they built, survive into the new century? Set against the magnificent backdrop of Imperial Istanbul, The Gilded Cage on the Bosphorus is a spellbinding tale of love, duty and sacrifice. Evocative and utterly beguiling, The Gilded Cage on the Bosphorus is perfect for fans of Colin Falconer, Kate Morton and Philippa Gregory. "A richly woven carpet of a book." Historical Novel Society "With intelligence and sensitivity, Ayşe recreates the dramatic story of our family." Kenize Mourad, author of the international best-seller Regards from the Dead Princess
In the wake of the fear that gripped Europe after the fall of Constantinople in 1453, English dramatists, like their continental counterparts, began representing the Ottoman Turks in plays inspired by historical events. The Ottoman milieu as a dramatic setting provided English audiences with a common experience of fascination and fear of the Other. The stereotyping of the Turks in these plays—revolving around complex themes such as tyranny, captivity, war, and conquests—arose from their perception of Islam. The Ottomans' failure in the second siege of Vienna in 1683 led to the reversal of trends in the representation of the Turks on stage. As the ascending strength of a web of European alliances began to check Ottoman expansion, what then began to dazzle the aesthetic imagination of eighteenth century England was the sultan's seraglio with images of extravaganza and decadence. In this book, Esin Akalin draws upon a selective range of seventeenth and eighteenth century plays to reach an understanding, both from a non-European perspective and Western standpoint, how one culture represents the other through discourse, historiography, and drama. The book explores a cluster of issues revolving around identity and difference in terms of history, ideology, and the politics of representation. In contextualizing political, cultural, and intellectual roots in the ideology of representing the Ottoman/Muslim as the West’s Other, the author tackles with the questions of how history serves literature and to what extent literature creates history.
Adventure to the four corners of the Ottoman Empire. Includes all four books in The Ottoman Cycle series; The Thief’s Tale, The Priest’s Tale, The Assassin’s Tale and The Pasha’s Tale. The Thief’s Tale: Istanbul, 1481. The once-great city of Constantine, with a mix of Christians, Turks and Jews, now forms the heart of the Ottoman empire. The conquest, still a recent memory, means emotions run high and danger is never far away. Skiouros and Lykaion, sons of a Greek farmer, are conscripted into the infamous Janissary guards and taken to Istanbul. As Skiouros escapes into the Greek quarter, Lykaion remains with the slave chain, becomes an Islamic convert and guards the Imperial palace. But one fateful day Skiouros picks the wrong pocket and begins to unravel a plot reaching to the highest peaks of imperial power. He and his brother are left with the most difficult decision faced by a conquered Greek: is the rule of the Ottoman Sultan worth saving? The Priest’s Tale: Crete, 1492. After a sojourn on a Venetian-controlled island, Skiouros has learned everything he needs to know for his true quest: destroying the person responsible for his brother’s death. Meanwhile, across the Mediterranean, a small fleet of Turkish galleys is engaged in a desperate last attempt to save Islamic influence on the Iberian Peninsula. While the great naval commander Kemal Reis battles to survive, his subordinate yearns to murder every hint of Christian life. When Skiouros’ ship crosses paths with the violent would-be pirate, things turn sour. With his life at stake, Skiouros must confront unpleasant truths about his past... The Assassin’s Tale: Italy, 1493. As the inquisition takes hold in Spain and the Vatican seethes under the rule of the Borgias, Skiouros embarks on a mission to discover the truth about the death of the usurper sultan, Cem. Gathering old friends and new, Skiouros travels the length of Italy in his quest for vengeance and the quieting of his brother's restless soul. But on his dreadful quest he will face more than just physical danger... For beneath all his strength, does Skiouros have a heart black enough to commit murder in the name of revenge? The Pasha’s Tale: It’s been five years since Skiouros left the city of Constantine. He has come to understand the dreadful price exacted by vengeance. Saved from the French authorities by Dragi – the Romani crewman of a Turkish galley – he and his friend Parmenio are once again bound for the east. But Dragi’s aid comes with a price... In the Ottoman capital, the populace prepares for a great festival; for the first time in years the Sultan’s three sons are all to be present. But a sect of disenfranchised Romani are plotting a deadly coup. Can Skiouros thwart the mysterious Kingbreaker and save the Sultan’s sons? A riveting historical adventure, perfect for fans of Simon Scarrow, Conn Iggulden and Bernard Cornwell. Praise for S.J.A. Turney ‘If you enjoy a fast paced, action packed read, you can't go wrong with these books.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review ‘Simon Turney has become one of my favourite historical novelists; he certainly does his research, but is a master storyteller too.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review ‘An excellent series... well told and fast paced with ample betrayal and intrigue. A must read.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review ‘I rarely give 5 stars, but I can't help it. This was a fabulous, well written, well researched series. which gets better with each book.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review ‘It is easy to see why S.J.A. Turney is top of the pile in ancient historical fiction... the narrative pulls you along easily so you become part of the story. Superbly done, plenty of action and suspense. Highly recommended historical fiction.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review
This fully revised and thoroughly updated fifth edition of The Rough Guide to Turkey provides an insider's handbook to the country. A full colour section introduces Turkey's highlights, from the markets of Istanbul to the rock churches of Cappadocia. There are informed accounts of the country's wide-ranging sights and incisive reviews of the best places to eat, sleep and drink in every price range. Throughout the guide there is practical advice on everything from bazaar shopping to chartering a yacht. The authors also provide expert background on Turkish history, literature, music and film.
A brilliant and sobering critique of the Palestinian failure to achieve statehood, by a major Palestinian historian and political commentator At a time when a lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis seems virtually unattainable, understanding the roots of the longest-running conflict in the Middle East is an essential step in restoring hope to the region. In The Iron Cage, Rashid Khalidi, one of the most respected historians and political observers of the Middle East, examines the Palestinian’s struggle for statehood, presenting a succinct and insightful history of the people and their leadership throughout the twentieth century. Ranging from the Palestinian struggle against colonial rule and the establishment of the State of Israel to the current rivalry between Hamas and Fatah, this is an unflinching and sobering critique of the Palestinian failure to achieve statehood, as well as a balanced account of the odds ranged against them. Lucid yet challenging, Rashid Khalidi’s engrossing narrative of this tortuous history is required reading for anyone concerned about peace in the Middle East.
In his first novel since Corelli’s Mandolin, Louis de Bernières creates a world, populates it with characters as real as our best friends, and launches it into the maelstrom of twentieth-century history. The setting is a small village in southwestern Anatolia in the waning years of the Ottoman Empire. Everyone there speaks Turkish, though they write it in Greek letters. It’s a place that has room for a professional blasphemer; where a brokenhearted aga finds solace in the arms of a Circassian courtesan who isn’t Circassian at all; where a beautiful Christian girl named Philothei is engaged to a Muslim boy named Ibrahim. But all of this will change when Turkey enters the modern world. Epic in sweep, intoxicating in its sensual detail, Birds Without Wings is an enchantment.
