An Istanbul Anthology

Kaya Genc is a novelist and essayist from Istanbul. His writing has appeared in The Believer, The Guardian, The Financial Times, and New Humanist, and he is a contributing editor at Index on Censorship. He blogs at kayagenc.net.

Introduction

The Sea and the View
The Proper Seat of the Empire of the Whole World, 1745 Giacomo Casanova
The Mysterious Seal, 1843 Gerard de Nerval
Mist Over the Golden Horn, 1922 Ernest Hemingway
Entering the City, 1875 Edmondo de Amicis
Veiled in Her “Ash-mack”, 1856 Herman Melville
The First Impressions, 1903 Arthur Symons
Turkey’s River Thames, 1852 Théophile Gautier
The Caiq, 1915 Harrison Griswold Dwight
The Bosphorus on Christmas-day, 1815 Lady Emilia Hornby
The Princes’ Islands, 1893 Georgina Max Müller
Feet in the Water, Like Venice, 1903 Arthur Symons

Trees, Plants, and Gardens
Cypresses of the Little Field of the Dead, 1903 Arthur Symons
Gardens in Topkapı Palace, on Asia and Europe, 1716 Lady Mary Wortley Montagu
Tulips in Grand Vezir’s Garden, 1726 Monsieur d’Andresel
The Gardens of Stamboul, 1915 Harrison Griswold Dwight
In the Belgrade Forest, 1716 Lady Mary Wortley Montagu
A Picnic in the Forest, 1893 Georgina Max Müller
A Bouquet of Flowers, 1875 Edmondo de Amicis
Evergreens, 1856 Herman Melville

Imperial Life and Its Pleasures
Entrance to Imperial Sights, 1915 Harrison Griswold Dwight
Description of the Sultan’s Glorious Chambers, 1699 Aaron Hill
The Harem in Topkapı Palace, 1915 Harrison Griswold Dwight
A Private Harem in Bebec, 1811 Lady Hester Stanhope
Grand Signor’s Concubines at the Seraglio, 1599 Master Thomas Dallam
Of the Apartments of Women and the Lodgings of Eunuchs, 1699 Aaron Hill
Selamlik of Abdul Hamid, 1907 Arthur Conan Doyle
The Cagaloglu Hamam, 1811 Lady Hester Stanhope
Public Procession of the Sultan, 1841 Hans Christian Andersen
Tcheragan Serai, 1852 Théophile Gautier
Marble Mausoleum of the Sultan Mahmoud, 1867 Mark Twain
The Dolma Bagtche Palace, 1907 Will Seymour Monroe
City Walls, 1915 Harrison Griswold Dwight
The Fortress of the Seven Towers, 1915 Harrison Griswold Dwight
Hippodrome, 1852 Théophile Gautier
The Palace of the Crown-Wearer, 1915 Harrison Griswold Dwight
Two Palaces: Beylerbey and Cheragan, 1907 Will Seymour Monroe
Cheragan Palace’s Silent Rooms of Splendour, 1875 Edmondo de Amicis
The Small House at Yildiz, 1868 Clara Erskine Clement
The Thousand and One Columns, 1867 Mark Twain
The Sublime Porte, 1903 Arthur Symons

Piety and Holy Places
A Typical Istanbul Mosque, 1915 Harrison Griswold Dwight
Hagia Sophia, the Church of Divine Wisdom, 1716 Lady Mary Wortley Montagu
The Sweating Column, 1875 Edmondo de Amicis
Night of Power in the Mosque of Sophia, 1907 Arthur Conan Doyle
Churches of Constantinople, 1915 Harrison Griswold Dwight
The Mosque of Eyub, 1907 Will Seymour Monroe
Sultan Achmet and Sultan Bayezid Mosques, 1852 Théophile Gautier
Süleymaniye and Yeni Valide Mosques, 1716 Lady Mary Wortley Montagu
The Mosque of the Conqueror, 1907 Will Seymour Monroe
A Masterpiece of Tile Decoration: Rustem Pasha Mosque, 1915 Harrison Griswold Dwight
Dervish Lodge at Pera, 1843 Gerard de Nerval
Whirling Dervishes, 1716 Lady Mary Wortley Montagu
A Funeral in Istanbul, 1912 Grace Mary Ellison

Streets, Festivities, and Commerce
Sidewalks and Streets, 1922 Ernest Hemingway
A Fierce and Active Struggle, 1903 Arthur Symons
Perfect Labyrinth, 1856 Herman Melville
Two Bridges, 1903, Arthur Symons
Istanbul Beggars, 1867 Mark Twain
The Bazaar, 1907 Will Seymour Monroe
An Oriental Shop, 1852 Théophile Gautier
The Balik-Bazaar and the Grand Bazaar, 1875 Edmondo de Amicis
Smells of the Great Bazaar, 1867 Mark Twain
The Real Rug Market, 1915 Harrison Griswold Dwight
Missir Charshi and the Dried Fruit Bazaar, 1915 Harrison Griswold Dwight
The Slave Market, 1867 Mark Twain

Ramadan in Istanbul
Scenes from Ramazan in Istanbul, 1852 Théophile Gautier
Preparations for the Evening Meal, 1915 Harrison Griswold Dwight
Bairam in Istanbul, 1843 Gerard de Nerval
Karagueuz, 1876 Pierre Loti
Kocheks and Mettaghs, 1915 Harrison Griswold Dwight

Caffeine and Nicotine
A Turkish Café, 1852 Théophile Gautier
Served in the French Manner, 1843 Gerard de Nerval
A Change in Manners, 1915 Harrison Griswold Dwight
Women Smokers, 1852 Théophile Gautier
A Greater Kick than Absinthe, 1922 Ernest Hemingway
Tombeki, 1875 Edmondo de Amicis
Clubs of Poorer Classes, 1915 Harrison Griswold Dwight
The Exciter of Imagination, 1875 Edmondo de Amicis

The Darker Parts of the City
Pera’s Madmen, 1811 Lady Hester Stanhope
The Business and Shipping Centre for the Europeans, 1907 Will Seymour Monroe
First Moments in Pera, 1876 Pierre Loti
Tower of Babel, 1716 Lady Mary Wortley Montagu
Galata Tower, 1852 Théophile Gautier
Mussulman But Like My Own Homeland, 1843 Gerard de Nerval
Istanbul After Hours, 1922 Ernest Hemingway
Istanbul Dogs, 1867 Mark Twain
The Masters of the City, 1903 Arthur Symons
A Fire, 1876 Pierre Loti
Kief, 1875 Edmondo de Amicis
A Turkish Bath, 1867 Mark Twain
Around Galata Tower, 1852 Théophile Gautier
Midnight in Pera, 1876 Pierre Loti
Theatre in Pera, 1843 Gerard de Nerval

The City as Hell
Hating Constantinople, 1914 André Gide
The End of Istanbul, 1850 Gustave Flaubert

The Travelers
Bibliography