Splendors of Istanbul: Houses and Palaces along the Bosporus FROM THE PUBLISHER
In this sumptuously illustrated volume, author Chris Hellier traces both the architectural and social history of these stunning residences, beginning in the mid-fifteenth century, when Byzantine rule was brought to an end and Constaninople was established as the new capital of the growing Ottoman Empire. Soon thereafter Sultan Mehmet began building the Topkapi Serai as a symbol of his enhanced power, and this fabled palace still dominates the skyline. Significant development of the Bosporus, however, commenced in the eighteenth century, during a prosperous and lighthearted era known as the Tulip Period, when members of the ruling elite constructed wooden mansions, or yalis, in the Turkish tradition. Their architecture is unique to Istanbul, and their beautiful red, yellow, pink, or green facades are still reflected in the waters of the Bosporus.
FROM THE CRITICS
Library Journal
Ottoman architecture is still little known to the general public, but this book is an immensely seductive introduction. Hellier, an Ankara-based journalist, interweaves an anecdotal history of the sultanate with a survey of royal palaces and upper-class houses along the Bosporus. There are no floor plans--the emphasis is on style--but there's a refreshing breadth to Hellier's selection. He pays unusual attention to Istanbul's wooden villas, the most ingratiating of Ottoman building types, and to the delirious products of 19th-century eclecticism. The true glory of this book is Venturi's color photography. Serious students will still rely on Godfrey Goodwin's A History of Ottoman Architecture (Thames & Hudson, 1987), but Venturi's work makes this an essential complement to that classic, sober text. Recommended for most public and academic libraries.-- Gregory Gilmartin, New York
BookList - Sandy Whiteley
Travel books all urge the tourist in Istanbul to take a ferry ride up the Bosporus, the waterway dividing the European and Asian parts of the city. This beautiful book not only helps in identifying the palaces and villas that line the water but takes us inside them. Some well-known public buildings, such as Topkapi and the Dolmabahce Palace, are shown, but most interesting are the interiors of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century wooden villas that were originally built as summer getaways, often by Greeks, Russians, or Egyptians. Many of them have been lost to fire or development in recent years, but some are now restored and serve as year-round homes. The text ties the history of upper-class domestic architecture to what was going on in the larger Ottoman society. As European influences became more dominant in the waning years of the empire, so too did European styles of architecture and interior decoration. The more than 200 color photographs will delight armchair travelers and those interested in historic architecture.
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