The best books for exploring and understanding Istanbul

Strolling Through Istanbul: The Classic Guide to the City

By John Freely, Hilary Sumner-Boyd,

Why this book?

I bought a copy back in 1991 after returning from my first ever visit to Istanbul. Over the years I used it so much it fell apart and I had to buy another one. The authors’ passion for Istanbul comes through in the detailed information they give about every nook and cranny of the city. I still use it all the time and always find somewhere new to visit. Strolling is ideal for people who want to dive in deep and explore each of Istanbul’s seven hills on foot, to really understand what they’re looking at and why it’s important historically.

• If you can’t buy local:
• Bookshop.org
• Amazon

Bosphorus: The Ultimate Guide

By Saffet Emre Tonguç, Pat Yale,

Why this book?

Tonguç is probably Turkey’s most famous travel guide and Yale is the former writer of the Turkey Lonely Planet guide. Together they’ve written a beautifully put-together guide to the Bosphorus, the watery strait that connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and the Golden Horn. Each entry includes the history and images of neighbourhoods along the waterway, but it’s the quirky anecdotes, nostalgia, and personal photographs, combined with exhaustive coverage of every park, palace, mansion, fountain, mosque, church, synagogue, and other examples of architectural majesty found in them that makes this guide invaluable.

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Inside the Seraglio: Private Lives of the Sultans in Istanbul

By John Freely,

Why this book?

Visitors always go to Topkapı Palace and marvel at its elaborate ceremonial courts and beautifully sinister harem where women were sequestered away from prying eyes. It offers a tantalising glimpse into the world of the Ottoman elite but if you want to get a richer idea of what it was like, this book brings it to life. Author John Freely, a physicist and long-term resident of the city, combined historical fact with engaging writing and a blazing passion for all things Ottoman and Turkish to tell the story of the Sultans, their wives, children, and court followers. He drew from rare books in Turkish libraries and travellers’ records as well as letters and reports made by visiting foreign dignitaries of the period to capture moments when innocent amusements, gentle flirtations, and simple pastimes turned into brutal murders and dramatic intrigues.

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Turkish Letters

By Ogier De Busbecq,

Why this book?

Living in a world where we can look at images of places we’re planning to travel without even going there means it’s easy to forget the importance of letters sent from foreign countries. Especially ones as well written as these. Ogier De Busbecq was an ambassador for the Hapsburg Empire in the court of Suleyman the Magnificent in the 16th century, but his observations, comments, and snippets of gossip read like he was in Istanbul last month. He had a keen eye for detail and nothing escaped his notice – palace machinations, dirty politics, and even prison conditions, gleaned from the time he spent incarcerated.

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Streets of Memory: Landscape, Tolerance, and National Identity in Istanbul

By Amy Mills,

Why this book?

I’m always seeking to learn more about Istanbul’s multicultural past and Kuzguncuk, on the Asian side of Istanbul, is an area rich in history. The leafy streets and community vegetable garden are now extremely popular with Turkish hipsters, but Mills looked behind the surface by doing an incredible amount of research and conducting fascinating interviews with residents, to bring the past into the present. Jews, Greeks, Armenians, and Turks have always lived together here and in Streets of Memory their individual stories, ethnic histories, and differing memories are carefully woven together to create a deeply nuanced, complex picture of Istanbul.

• If you can’t buy local:
• Bookshop.org
• Amazon