Thames & Hudson Ltd The Sultan's Istanbul on Five Kurush a Day

Welcome to the exotic world of Istanbul in the year 1750! Palaces & mosques, coffee houses and baths – this is your pocket guide to the city of the Sultans.This entertaining and informative guide takes you on a journey back to the era of the Grand Tour, when Istanbul was a favourite destination for enterprising travellers. Learn how to gain access to the heavily guarded Topkapi Sarayi. Discover how to haggle with the expert salesmen in the bustling bazaars, learn what excitements await you in a Turkish bath and attend the strange rituals of the whirling dervishes. Or watch the sultan, dressed in all his finery, taking to the Bosphorus in his splendid barge. The more daring can join the crowds attending an execution or taste the forbidden delicacies on offer in the most risque coffee houses and opium dens.Witty and fact-filled, Istanbul on Five Kurush a Day will appeal to travellers, museum-goers and anyone who wonders what it would really have been like to visit the hub of the Ottoman Empire.