Preparing to Visit Turkey

When we travel internationally, I like to spend time learning about the history and culture of our destination prior to our trip. Often I will start this learning process in the months leading up to our trip. Because there was so much uncertainty about this trip I really only started learning more about Turkey a few weeks before our trip. While this was a more abbreviated timeline than normal I was still able to learn quite a bit. I read four books about Turkey:

Istanbul: City of Majesty at the Crossroads of the World by Thomas F. Madden

This book focuses on the two millennia history of this city, from its time as Byzantium, then Constantinople, and finally Istanbul. The history of this city is quite remarkable. It truly is at the crossroads of the world, and as such was linked to the history of Europe and Asia. I found it fascinating how much this book intertwined with other histories I have read. For example, the history of Istanbul and Venice are intertwined. A few years ago I read a book about Venetian history and now I got to see the other side of the coin in learning about Constantinople. I become even more excited to visit this important and historic city after learning more about it. In the words of Napoleon Bonaparte, "If the Earth were a single state, Istanbul would be its capital."

My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk (translated by Erdag Göknar)

This is an engaging piece of Turkish literature. Set in Sixteenth century Istanbul the novel is a love story, a murder mystery and tribute to the art and culture of Istanbul all rolled into one. While the story itself is fascinating, the book is as much about early modern Istanbul - life, culture, art, tradition, as it is about the characters and the plot. The culture clash of east and west is cleverly depicted in an accessible way. The author of this book deservedly won the Nobel prize for literature after the book was published.

Turkey: What Everyone Needs to Know by Andrew Finkel

This books focuses more on providing information about modern Turkey. Andrew Finkel spent a twenty year career as a journalist writing about Turkey for the Economist and Time Magazine. In this succinct book, Finkel touches on: history, geography, economics and politics. I gleaned many interesting nuggets from reading this book. Some of the things I found interesting included a discussion of Turkey’s attempt to join the EU (stalled since 2016). It was also interesting to learn about the demographics of Turkey. They are a fairly young country, and their youthful population is one of their greatest national resources. It was also interesting to learn more about the politics of Turkey. Turkey is a secular state, which creates a lot of tension between the military (who see themselves as protectors of the secular state) and the elected officials who may come from parties that include religions tenants. Along these lines Finkel pointed out that the issue of head coverings has become Turkey’s 2nd amendment argument, or an argument where neither side really looks at the issue rationally because so much emotion is tied up in it. Overall this book provided a lot of insight into modern Turkey. 

Turkish Delights by Philippa Scott

I bought this book for Alison because she loves to learn about art and architecture. I decided to read it as well. It was a little dry - written like a textbook. I also has a lot of beautiful pictures. The book focuses on the influence Turkish art and architecture has had on Western Europe. The books covers subjects such as: Turkish costume, tulips, turbans, carpets, harems, pavilions, Iznik tiles, and Turkish baths. I am hoping it will give me a greater appreciation for the art and architecture we will see on our trip. 

I found myself more excited for the Turkey portion of our trip after reading these books. During our planning this was definitely the less important stop, but I think we will love to tour this magnificent city.