Istanbul: The Imperial City

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.

This is the detailed guide for someone with a fairly long stay in Istanbul and a serious interest in art and history. Compared with the Lonely Planet Istanbul it's not as readable and has less practical "how to get there" and "where to stay" information but it's usful once you're in a particular building and want to know more about it. Sometimes it tells you more than you want to know but it seldom tells less.

We used this book on our trip to Istanbul last week, and it was I was intimidated at first by all the historic detail, but I found this book better than any guide you could hire to navigate through millenia of history on the shores of the Bosphorus. It walks you through the sites, and gives the historic context for each. Very informative.It has a nice list of sites not to be missed in the front, in case your trip is brief, as was ours.I will always travel with this brand of book in the future. They recruit actual scholars of the area to do much of the writing.

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.

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.