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Thames Hudson 5... a Day
The Sultan's Istanbul on 5 Kurush a Day
All the practical advice you need for a journey back in time to the remarkable city of Istanbul under the sultans This entertaining and informative guide takes you on a journey back to 1750 and the era of the Grand Tour, when Istanbul was a favorite destination for enterprising travelers, a city of excitement, intrigue, and mystery.
Be inspired by the magnificent palaces and sublime mosques of the Ottomans and by the great artistic and architectural achievements of the Byzantines who preceded them. Gain access to the opulent and heavily guarded Topkapi Palace. Be a guest in the houses of the locals, accompany them to the luxurious baths, and relax with them in coffeehouses. Barter with tradesmen in the bustling bazaars, enjoy spectacular festivals, and take pleasure trips up the Bosphorus.
Along the way you will encounter a colorful cast of characters, ranging from the sultan and his harem, the grand vizier, other-worldly eunuchs, and swaggering janissaries to ambassadors, merchants, whirling dervishes, women hidden behind their veils, and a splendid array of nationalities from every corner of the Ottoman Empire and Europe.
85 illustrations, 15 in color
Be inspired by the magnificent palaces and sublime mosques of the Ottomans and by the great artistic and architectural achievements of the Byzantines who preceded them. Gain access to the opulent and heavily guarded Topkapi Palace. Be a guest in the houses of the locals, accompany them to the luxurious baths, and relax with them in coffeehouses. Barter with tradesmen in the bustling bazaars, enjoy spectacular festivals, and take pleasure trips up the Bosphorus.
Along the way you will encounter a colorful cast of characters, ranging from the sultan and his harem, the grand vizier, other-worldly eunuchs, and swaggering janissaries to ambassadors, merchants, whirling dervishes, women hidden behind their veils, and a splendid array of nationalities from every corner of the Ottoman Empire and Europe.
85 illustrations, 15 in color
- GenresHistoryTravelNonfiction
144 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2013
4 people are currently reading
110 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 14, 2020
Brief, yet fascinating insight into the cultural and social beliefs and practices of 18th century Turks.
December 26, 2015
'The Sultan’s Istanbul on Five Kurush a Day' was, for me, the delight of this year’s Christmas.
Mr FitzRoy proposes, with no needless earnest, to be your guide in the Istanbul of 1750, as if you were extending your Grand Tour eastwards. (I did wonder whether any European of 1750 would refer to the place as ‘Istanbul', but no matter.) He introduces us to the locals, with their highly coloured footwear, their cafes and habitats, takes you round Topkapı Palace and the Harem, shows you the main sights and slips you into the city’s great celebrations - all in a companionable and amusing style that maintains the fiction of being as vademecum while never lapsing into pastiche.
The book is very informative, though free of any buttonholing harassment. While I’ve probably forgotten much more about Ottoman Constantinople than I realise, I have a strong feeling that I never knew that the Balat district was named after a palace (‘paiation’). The municipality of Beşiktaş (where in recent years a hidden tea garden of effortless charm, perfect for whiling away a late afternoon, has been supplanted by a featureless restaurant and takeaway) is so called for a stone on which the infant Jesus had been washed: again, my memory is innocent of this notion, though, as I discover, that’s but one of the theories. Not had I any idea that the imam would climb the pulpit steps in Ayasofya with a naked scimitar, in token of the principal church of Christendom being taken by storm in 1543.
There’s very much more than this to enjoy here, and I’d devoured it all before making Christmas dinner. Thames & Hudson’s historical guide book idea is seductive, and I look forward to examining their 'Ancient Egypt on Five Deben a Day' or 'The Wild West on Five Bits a Day'. Unsurprisingly from this publisher, the book is beautifully set and illustrated (both visually and with snippets from authors of the time). I found it an utter pleasure.
Mr FitzRoy proposes, with no needless earnest, to be your guide in the Istanbul of 1750, as if you were extending your Grand Tour eastwards. (I did wonder whether any European of 1750 would refer to the place as ‘Istanbul', but no matter.) He introduces us to the locals, with their highly coloured footwear, their cafes and habitats, takes you round Topkapı Palace and the Harem, shows you the main sights and slips you into the city’s great celebrations - all in a companionable and amusing style that maintains the fiction of being as vademecum while never lapsing into pastiche.
The book is very informative, though free of any buttonholing harassment. While I’ve probably forgotten much more about Ottoman Constantinople than I realise, I have a strong feeling that I never knew that the Balat district was named after a palace (‘paiation’). The municipality of Beşiktaş (where in recent years a hidden tea garden of effortless charm, perfect for whiling away a late afternoon, has been supplanted by a featureless restaurant and takeaway) is so called for a stone on which the infant Jesus had been washed: again, my memory is innocent of this notion, though, as I discover, that’s but one of the theories. Not had I any idea that the imam would climb the pulpit steps in Ayasofya with a naked scimitar, in token of the principal church of Christendom being taken by storm in 1543.
There’s very much more than this to enjoy here, and I’d devoured it all before making Christmas dinner. Thames & Hudson’s historical guide book idea is seductive, and I look forward to examining their 'Ancient Egypt on Five Deben a Day' or 'The Wild West on Five Bits a Day'. Unsurprisingly from this publisher, the book is beautifully set and illustrated (both visually and with snippets from authors of the time). I found it an utter pleasure.
September 4, 2025
After my wonderful journey through Egypt with the book "Ancient Egypt on Five Deben a Day" , I was more than excited to embark on one more journey, and this time to Istanbul! I was very disappointed, the writing felt boring and the book was unimpressive, it felt more like a dull study paper than a commercial book meant to entertain a larger audience of readers. Also the book is meant to be a "travel guide" to a place in history the reader obviously can't go to, that is what makes the concept interesting. But it felt like this came as an afterthought to the author. There were also a couple of phrases that felt based in racism and misogyny, like that the women's coverings make it enticing to picture a slender beauty or a fuller figured madam under them... That could have certainly been left out.
May 17, 2024
Bir yabancının gözüyle 1750'nin İstanbul'undayız.
İnsanların yaşayışlarına, adetlere, devletin işleyişi ve dönemin günlük hayatına; Osmanlı'ya dıştan bakan bir seyyahın gözüyle bakıyoruz. Kitaptaki gravürler ve resimler okuma zevkini arttırıyor. Kitap çok akıcı, bu bilgileri aktarırken okuyucu kesinlikle sıkılmıyor. 1750'lerin İstanbul'unu merak eden herkese öneririm.
İnsanların yaşayışlarına, adetlere, devletin işleyişi ve dönemin günlük hayatına; Osmanlı'ya dıştan bakan bir seyyahın gözüyle bakıyoruz. Kitaptaki gravürler ve resimler okuma zevkini arttırıyor. Kitap çok akıcı, bu bilgileri aktarırken okuyucu kesinlikle sıkılmıyor. 1750'lerin İstanbul'unu merak eden herkese öneririm.
January 29, 2018
Conveys the atmosphere of the eternal city with a fair effort to present the relevant period. Full of helpful historical and cultural highlights and curiosities, as well as some clichés about Turks and Islam.
December 22, 2022
Baskısı, gravürleri anlatımındaki naifliğiyle bir 18. ayy Osmanlı panoraması. Bahsedilen tüm bilgilerin klişe ve bilindik olması okunabilirliğine halel getirmiyor. Seyyah hatıratı okumayı sevenler listeye alsın :)
November 4, 2018
1750’lerin İstanbul’unda harika bir gezinti oldu. Şehir yaşamını tüm yönleriyle ele alan keyifli bir kitap. Sosyal tarih sevenlere tavsiye ederim...
May 28, 2021
This tiny book will take you to ordinary life of Istanbul/Constantinople some 300 years ago where you will enjoy as one of the inhabitants of this marvelous city...
December 13, 2025
18 yüzyılda yazılmış kitap Osmanlı İstanbul'unu bir çok açıdan ele alıyor ve dönemi gelenekleri üzerinden güzel anlatıyor.
October 17, 2013
Another assigned book for my Ottoman history course. This was a quick, fun read, written for a traveller in 1750. It wasn't always entirely correct, and the overemphasis on the sexuality of the harem was a particularly incorrect topic throughout the book, but over it was great fun and very informational.
August 15, 2014
I especially loved the last couple of chapters about the seraglio/harem, the festivals and the Bosphorus boat rides. He finishes off gloriously with a description of the male circumcision festival. Imagine a Rick Steves attitude in the 18th century. Amazingly, many of the buildings he describes are stil there and flourishing!
January 27, 2015
not as interesting as I thought it would be for my trip to Istanbul this summer!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews