Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities

by Bettany Hughes

A diamond mounted between two sapphires and two emeralds… the precious stone in the ring of a vast dominion which embraced the entire world. THE DREAM OF OSMAN, C. AD 12801 Those who had never seen Constantinople before gazed very intently at the city, never having imagined there could be such a place in the world. GEOFFREY DE VILLEHARDOUIN, FOURTH CRUSADE, AD 12042 If one had but a single glance to give the world, one should gaze on Istanbul. ALPHONSE DE LAMARTINE, POET, WRITER AND STATESMAN AD 1790–18693 O, my God! Let this town flourish to the end of time. SULTAN MURAD IV, AD 16384

Verily you shall conquer Constantinople. What a wonderful leader will he be, and what a wonderful army shall that army be! TRADITIONAL HADITH ASSERTING THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD’S DESIRE TO CONQUER CONSTANTINOPLE1

Philip scuppered all the Athenian vessels, 180 of them, selling off the contents and reusing the wood for his siege engines, and returned only those belonging to Rhodes, Chios and Byzantion.