We leave for Turkey on April 11. After an overnight flight and a layover in Amsterdam, we will arrive in Istanbul at 3:45 p.m. on April 12. While we are gone, Tom will stay at the house and take care of the dog, for which we are very grateful!
Our pre-travel reading list includes the following:
Fiction:
Last Train to Istanbul by Ayse Kulin
Farewell: A Mansion in Occupied Istanbul by Ayse Kulin
Non-Fiction:
Midnight at the Pera Palace: the Birth of Modern Istanbul by Charles King
- A social history of Istanbul at the end of the Ottoman Empire and during the early years of the Turkish Republic, 1918-1945. Istanbul was a very multi-cultural city, especially at the beginning of this period.
A Short History of Byzantium by John Julius Norwich
- This is a one-volume abridgement of Norwich's three-volume history. The one volume was so good it makes me want to read the three-volume version, but I haven't yet.
Turkey: A Short History by Norman Stone
- A very well written short history that focuses on the Turks, that is, it begins when Turkish-speaking people first appeared in eastern Anatolia in the 11th century. A nice complement to Norwich's book.
A Traveller's History of Turkey by Richard Stoneman
- In 203 pages, this book begins with pre-history, then moves on to the Hittites (2000-1250 B.C.E.), the Persian Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Ottoman Empire and finally Modern Turkey. Each topic is necessarily superficial, but still informative if you are unfamiliar with the subject.
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