An Istanbul Anthology takes us on a nostalgic journey through the city with travelers' accounts of the sights, smells, and sounds of Istanbul's bazaars and coffeehouses, its grand palaces and gardens, crumbling buildings, and ancient churches and mosques, and the waters that so haunt and define it. With writers such as Gustave Flaubert, Pierre Loti, Ernest Hemingway, Mark Twain, and André Gide, we discover and rediscover the many delights of this great city of antiquity, meeting point of East and West, and gateway to peoples and civilizations.

IntroductionThe Sea and the ViewThe Proper Seat of the Empire of the Whole World, 1745 Giacomo Casanova The Mysterious Seal, 1843 Gerard de NervalMist Over the Golden Horn, 1922 Ernest HemingwayEntering the City, 1875 Edmondo de AmicisVeiled in Her "Ash-mack", 1856 Herman MelvilleThe First Impressions, 1903 Arthur SymonsTurkey's River Thames, 1852 Théophile GautierThe Caiq, 1915 Harrison Griswold Dwight The Bosphorus on Christmas-day, 1815 Lady Emilia HornbyThe Princes' Islands, 1893 Georgina Max MüllerFeet in the Water, Like Venice, 1903 Arthur SymonsTrees, Plants, and GardensCypresses of the Little Field of the Dead, 1903 Arthur SymonsGardens in Topkap¿ Palace, on Asia and Europe, 1716 Lady Mary Wortley MontaguTulips in Grand Vezir's Garden, 1726 Monsieur d'AndreselThe Gardens of Stamboul, 1915 Harrison Griswold DwightIn the Belgrade Forest, 1716 Lady Mary Wortley MontaguA Picnic in the Forest, 1893 Georgina Max MüllerA Bouquet of Flowers, 1875 Edmondo de AmicisEvergreens, 1856 Herman MelvilleImperial Life and Its PleasuresEntrance to Imperial Sights, 1915 Harrison Griswold Dwight Description of the Sultan's Glorious Chambers, 1699 Aaron HillThe Harem in Topkap¿ Palace, 1915 Harrison Griswold Dwight A Private Harem in Bebec, 1811 Lady Hester StanhopeGrand Signor's Concubines at the Seraglio, 1599 Master Thomas DallamOf the Apartments of Women and the Lodgings of Eunuchs, 1699 Aaron HillSelamlik of Abdul Hamid, 1907 Arthur Conan Doyle The Cagaloglu Hamam, 1811 Lady Hester StanhopePublic Procession of the Sultan, 1841 Hans Christian Andersen Tcheragan Serai, 1852 Théophile GautierMarble Mausoleum of the Sultan Mahmoud, 1867 Mark TwainThe Dolma Bagtche Palace, 1907 Will Seymour MonroeCity Walls, 1915 Harrison Griswold DwightThe Fortress of the Seven Towers, 1915 Harrison Griswold DwightHippodrome, 1852 Théophile GautierThe Palace of the Crown-Wearer, 1915 Harrison Griswold Dwight Two Palaces: Beylerbey and Cheragan, 1907 Will Seymour MonroeCheragan Palace's Silent Rooms of Splendour, 1875 Edmondo de AmicisThe Small House at Yildiz, 1868 Clara Erskine Clement The Thousand and One Columns, 1867 Mark TwainThe Sublime Porte, 1903 Arthur SymonsPiety and Holy PlacesA Typical Istanbul Mosque, 1915 Harrison Griswold Dwight Hagia Sophia, the Church of Divine Wisdom, 1716 Lady Mary Wortley MontaguThe Sweating Column, 1875 Edmondo de AmicisNight of Power in the Mosque of Sophia, 1907 Arthur Conan Doyle Churches of Constantinople, 1915 Harrison Griswold DwightThe Mosque of Eyub, 1907 Will Seymour MonroeSultan Achmet and Sultan Bayezid Mosques, 1852 Théophile GautierSüleymaniye and Yeni Valide Mosques, 1716 Lady Mary Wortley MontaguThe Mosque of the Conqueror, 1907 Will Seymour MonroeA Masterpiece of Tile Decoration: Rustem Pasha Mosque, 1915 Harrison Griswold DwightDervish Lodge at Pera, 1843 Gerard de NervalWhirling Dervishes, 1716 Lady Mary Wortley MontaguA Funeral in Istanbul, 1912 Grace Mary EllisonStreets, Festivities, and CommerceSidewalks and Streets, 1922 Ernest HemingwayA Fierce and Active Struggle, 1903 Arthur SymonsPerfect Labyrinth, 1856 Herman Melville Two Bridges, 1903, Arthur SymonsIstanbul Beggars, 1867 Mark TwainThe Bazaar, 1907 Will Seymour MonroeAn Oriental Shop, 1852 Théophile GautierThe Balik-Bazaar and the Grand Bazaar, 1875 Edmondo de AmicisSmells of the Great Bazaar, 1867 Mark TwainThe Real Rug Market, 1915 Harrison Griswold DwightMissir Charshi and the Dried Fruit Bazaar, 1915 Harrison Griswold DwightThe Slave Market, 1867 Mark TwainRamadan in Istanbul Scenes from Ramazan in Istanbul, 1852 Théophile GautierPreparations for the Evening Meal, 1915 Harrison Griswold DwightBairam in Istanbul, 1843 Gerard de NervalKaragueuz, 1876 Pierre LotiKocheks and Mettaghs, 1915 Harrison Griswold DwightCaffeine and NicotineA Turkish Café, 1852 Théophile GautierServed in the French Manner, 1843 Gerard de NervalA Change in Manners, 1915 Harrison Griswold DwightWomen Smokers, 1852 Théophile Gautier A Greater Kick than Absinthe, 1922 Ernest HemingwayTombeki, 1875 Edmondo de AmicisClubs of Poorer Classes, 1915 Harrison Griswold DwightThe Exciter of Imagination, 1875 Edmondo de AmicisThe Darker Parts of the CityPera's Madmen, 1811 Lady Hester StanhopeThe Business and Shipping Centre for the Europeans, 1907 Will Seymour MonroeFirst Moments in Pera, 1876 Pierre LotiTower of Babel, 1716 Lady Mary Wortley MontaguGalata Tower, 1852 Théophile Gautier Mussulman But Like My Own Homeland, 1843 Gerard de NervalIstanbul After Hours, 1922 Ernest HemingwayIstanbul Dogs, 1867 Mark TwainThe Masters of the City, 1903 Arthur SymonsA Fire, 1876 Pierre LotiKief, 1875 Edmondo de AmicisA Turkish Bath, 1867 Mark TwainAround Galata Tower, 1852 Théophile GautierMidnight in Pera, 1876 Pierre LotiTheatre in Pera, 1843 Gerard de NervalThe City as HellHating Constantinople, 1914 André GideThe End of Istanbul, 1850 Gustave FlaubertThe TravelersBibliography