Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities
This book’s subject, Byzantium/Constantinople/Istanbul, has been called the world’s greatest city. Appropriately, the author has chosen a multi-faceted viewpoint including not only facts, which can sometimes be misleading, but also human perceptions, dreams and fears. There are many histories to uncover, from the prehistoric footsteps dating to 6,300 B.C; through early Greek settlements; to Constantinople, the glorious crown of the Eastern Roman Empire; and, after 1453, as Konstantiniyye or Islam-bol, capital of the Ottoman Empire; and its newest incarnation as Istanbul in the Republic of Turkey. Throughout its history, Constantinople has influenced the outside world via trade along the Silk Road to China and India, sailing north to Scandinavia and west into the Mediterranean. For example, 5th-6th century shards of Byzantine pottery, discovered at Tintagel in Cornwall, were traded for tin. And people, goods and ideas have, in return, come into the city, like the 10th– century Viking warriors who formed the Emperors’ personal Varangian Guard. The Ottomans brought a new cultural and racial diversity, and the city re-invented itself yet again. Hughes opens up the city’s psychopathology brilliantly, and examines it in all its variety. For me, reading Istanbul was like discovering a whole new galaxy. Highly recommended.
