Customer Reviews

Istanbul: The Imperial City

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a delightful combination of history and guide, addressing the history of Byzantium/Constantinople/Istanbul from the earliest Greek settlements to the present day. Mr.Freely provides a short but very readable account of the reigns of every Emperor and Sultan (and regardless of origin or religion the vast majority were a ghastly but entertaining bunch!) and sets them in the context of the growth of the city and of its principle monuments. The book is worth purchasing for the guide section alone, which is at the end of the book, and which provides excellent short descriptions of al the main architectural features and archaeological remains. This reader's only regret is that the book had not yet been published when he spent significant periods in Istanbul, for it is not only unique in concept and format, but also superior to any other book he has encountered as a guide to this wonderful city. It can be thoroughly recommended for anybody making a visit to Istanbul, however short. Readers whose interest is whetted by the chapters on pre-conquest Constantinople will find that John Julius Norwich's splendid three volume-history of Byzantium provides the extra, and fascinating, detail they crave.

I guess, the best saying about Istanbul is from Petrus Gyllius, -a French humanist and diplomat- who had been to Istanbul during the age of Suleyman the Magnificent. Gyllius called the Bosphorus "the strait that surpasses all straits, because with one key it opens and closes two worlds, two seas".
This book starts with this comment and goes on emphasising the true beauty of the city.
John Freely is a magnificant author and obviously in love with Istanbul. Actually he is a physic professor. You can follow his precise style in all of his books. The very fascinating film "Notting Hill" from Julia Roberst and Hugh Grant made this book popular all around the world. The travelbooks-shop owner Hugh Grant recommends this book to Julia Roberts just in the beginning of the film and emphasizes its high quality.
It goes without saying that Istanbul is a well written and well illustrated book. If you have been to Istanbul before, it will remarkably reinforce your memories. If you are a real fan of history and architecture and adore intellectually written books, dont skip this one. Really breathtaking! It will take you to a whimsical yet magnificent city and its history; particulary Byzantine era. The detailed information about Istanbul's monuments, Theodosian walls (built by Theodosius II in the first half of fifth century, AD, which are still magnificent even in their ruins, the long line of towers and battlements one of the enduring symbols of Byzantium), churches, obelisks, mosques, geography and historical events which were successfully chronicled will definetly help you to understand both its glory and history. Whilst reading this book, you will see the talisman and smell judas trees, terebinths,cypress, plane trees and umbrella pines. The part of history is excellent. You will learn that once upon a time the city had been only a hamlet and had remained a free city up until the last years of the second century. In addition to that, Freely reminds us of its entire given name that is NOVA ROMA CONSTANTINOPOLITANA; New Rome, the city of Constantine. Within the centuries, the name had got shortened and had become today's version. Amazing, isn't it?
I must say that if you are interested in these type of books, it worths it, if not you may get a little bit bored. So consider your preferences and then order this one.
Also recommended; anything by John Freely, Atatürk by Andrew Mango and if you like literature and fiction My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk.

When, in the popular film "Notting Hill", the bookseller character (Hugh Grant) prominently recommended this book to the famous actress/bookstore customer character (Julia Roberts), I thought the volume had to be a studio prop. But, on checking Amazon.com, I discovered that it wasn't. It is instead a very real, readable and excellent history of the city of Istanbul, formerly Constantinople, from the time of its founding in the distant past to the modern day present. A nice feature is the section at the back that describes in more detail the various historical monuments alluded to in the main body of the text. Istanbul is one of the last remaining entries on my personal list of the world's great cities that I intend to visit in my lifetime. After reading this wonderful book, I'm ready to buy the plane ticket and go. Now, all I have to do is convince my wife.

This is one of the few books that both covers the complete history of Constantinople/Byzantium/Istanbul and at the same time serves as an excellent travel guide. The list and description of Istanbul's monuments and churches helped me immensly as I visited the city last month. The book does not go into enough depth on any of the historical subjects but is a great overview of the city's history.

Falling in love with Istanbul during three visits motivated me to pick up this book, but both as a travel and a history book, it is fascinating enough in its own right. This history reads very fast, with the characters morphing and returning from the (nearly) dead, just like a soap opera. By focusing on both the history and where it happened, Freely's book will make the next trip to Istanbul even more rewarding. Unlike most travel guides, this book covers the lesser-known places, for someone with the time and the interest to seek out what's left of them.

Having lived in Istanbul for 4 years, I was more interested in finding out more about the Byzantium history since the rest of
it (post 1453); I have studied immensely through out my school years. Unfortunately, Freely did not exceed or even meet my expectations, the book was more like a tourist guide and from what I gather from the reviews, most of the people who gave it a good rating are foreigners who went to Istanbul for vacation and sightseeing..

The historical facts consist mostly of some dates and mere numbers regarding population, mosques and some prominent sultans. There was no satisfactory story telling about the life outside the palace in which it is claimed that 26 different ethnicities were living side by side. Commoners, gypsies, peasants, jugglers, tumblers, thieves, dwarves, horses, elephants were some of the inhabitants that gave Istanbul her true color.

As in several books written with a similar approach, the "harem" in the Topkapi Palace is a whole chapter by itself, yet, the entire chapter is devoted to totally irrelevant history of such and such sultan died and the son became the new sultan and then he was replaced by the next one and so on...

The only plus in this book are the sketches of some arthictectural marvels in the last pages which you do not have to buy the book to be fascinated!

This book does have a lot of information about Istanbul, but it's the kind of book that someone would finish only if he or she were living in Istanbul or going there on an extended visit. The book isn't really entertaining in itself, but there are lots of facts and dry anecdotes about the city's history.

A better, more interesting, book on historical Istanbul is Constantinople : City of the World's Desire 1453-1924 by Philip Mansel.

As for Freely on contemporary Istanbul, he is never able to give the reader a feeling for what it's like to spend time with the people who live in Istanbul, like Max Rodenbeck is able to do in his book about another city, Cairo: The City Victorious. There must be better books about Istanbul out there.

John Freely's book "Istanbul," takes a look at the city from its founding by Greek colonists, to the mordern day. Freely is an eloquent writer who places particular emphasis on the location of the city as it stands astride the Bosphorous strait and the Golden Horn. The history is in depth and informative, with both major and minor events chronicled in this book. Freely draws the reader in with a wonderful history. In the final section of this book, he has written a mini-guidebook, which features what, where, and how of what to see in Istanbul.

In october of this year i'll be visiting Istanbul so i decided to read this book to increase my knowledge of this city and i wasnt dissapointed. I love the authors account of Istanbul since it's beginning.I ilke the way he relates how all the major buildings and monuments in Istanbul came to be and its relation with the person who build them and its relation to the city.I liked the last section which summarises the major monuments and a little bit of it's history.I recommend this book to anyone traveling to Turkey

I read this while exploring Istanbul- made history come more alive while I was there and, while not a travel guide, has useful info on important sites in the city in an appendix.