Inside the Seraglio
Private Lives of the Sultans in Istanbul
Published on 11. October 2016
Book
Paperback/Softback
304 pages
978-1-78453-535-3 (ISBN)
Description
The classic story of the opulent Ottoman palace.
The House of Osman was the imperial dynasty that ruled the Ottoman Empire for more than seven centuries: an empire that once stretched from central Europe to North Africa and from Persia to the Adriatic.
The capital of this empire was Istanbul, ancient Byzantium, a city that stands astride Europe and Asia on the Bosphorus. And it was in the great palace of Topkapi Sarayi that the sultans of this empire ruled.
Inside the Seraglio, a classic of Ottoman history, takes us behind the gilded doors of the Topkapi and into the heart of the palace: the harem, where the sultan would surround himself with his wives, concubines, eunuchs, pages, dwarfs and mutes and where all the tempestuous events of empire were played out.
This is the history of a remarkable palace in all its colour and opulence and the story of its influence on a great empire.
The House of Osman was the imperial dynasty that ruled the Ottoman Empire for more than seven centuries: an empire that once stretched from central Europe to North Africa and from Persia to the Adriatic.
The capital of this empire was Istanbul, ancient Byzantium, a city that stands astride Europe and Asia on the Bosphorus. And it was in the great palace of Topkapi Sarayi that the sultans of this empire ruled.
Inside the Seraglio, a classic of Ottoman history, takes us behind the gilded doors of the Topkapi and into the heart of the palace: the harem, where the sultan would surround himself with his wives, concubines, eunuchs, pages, dwarfs and mutes and where all the tempestuous events of empire were played out.
This is the history of a remarkable palace in all its colour and opulence and the story of its influence on a great empire.
Reviews / Votes
An astonishing era that deserves to be more widely understood [...] Freely provides a fascinating overview, beautifully researched and riveting in its detail. -- Christopher Fowler * Independent on Sunday * A richly-coloured, high-entertaining book that I wished I'd had to hand when I strolled round the Topkapi. -- Lawrence James * The Times * Wonderful [...] rich with anecdote and first-hand accounts. * Mail on Sunday *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
4 maps
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
291 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78453-535-3 (9781784535353)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
10/2016
I.B. Tauris
€12.99
Available for download
E-Book
10/2016
I.B.Tauris
€12.99
Available for download
Person
John Freely (1926-2017) was born in 1926 in Brooklyn. In 1944, at the age of 17, he enlisted in the US Navy and spent the last two years of World War II serving with a commando unit in Burma and China. In 1960 John and his family moved to Istanbul, where he taught physics and the history of science at Bogazici University.
Aside from his travels across the world, he has lived there ever since. He is the author of over 40 acclaimed travel and history books, including Strolling through Istanbul, The Western Shores of Turkey, Strolling through Venice, Inside the Seraglio, Children of Achilles, Light from the East, Celestial Revolutionary and The Grand Turk (all I.B.Tauris Publishers).
Aside from his travels across the world, he has lived there ever since. He is the author of over 40 acclaimed travel and history books, including Strolling through Istanbul, The Western Shores of Turkey, Strolling through Venice, Inside the Seraglio, Children of Achilles, Light from the East, Celestial Revolutionary and The Grand Turk (all I.B.Tauris Publishers).
Content
Introduction to the New Edition
Acknowledgements
Preface
Turkish Spelling and Pronunciation
Maps
1 The House of Osman
2 Mehmet the Conqueror
3 The House of Felicity
4 Suleyman the Magnificent
5 The Sultanate of Women
6 An Organ for the Sultan
7 Regicide
8 The Procession of the Guilds
9 Three Mad Sultans
10 The Hunter Caged
11 A Cage for Princes
12 Tulip Time
13 Murder in the Music Room
14 The Auspicious Event
15 On the Shores of the Bosphorus
16 The Year of the Three Sultans
17 Imprisoned Sultans
18 The Fall of the House of Osman
19 The Gathering Place of the Jinns
Glossary
Ottoman Sultans (The House of Osman)
Genealogy of the Sultans
Mothers of the Sultans
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Preface
Turkish Spelling and Pronunciation
Maps
1 The House of Osman
2 Mehmet the Conqueror
3 The House of Felicity
4 Suleyman the Magnificent
5 The Sultanate of Women
6 An Organ for the Sultan
7 Regicide
8 The Procession of the Guilds
9 Three Mad Sultans
10 The Hunter Caged
11 A Cage for Princes
12 Tulip Time
13 Murder in the Music Room
14 The Auspicious Event
15 On the Shores of the Bosphorus
16 The Year of the Three Sultans
17 Imprisoned Sultans
18 The Fall of the House of Osman
19 The Gathering Place of the Jinns
Glossary
Ottoman Sultans (The House of Osman)
Genealogy of the Sultans
Mothers of the Sultans
Bibliography