| Further reading: 'Istanbul: Memories of a City'
by Orhan Pamuk.
Published by Faber and Faber (2005) This memoir, which reads as a kind of love story to the city, is my all-time favourite book about modern Istanbul, written by the Turkish novelist and Nobel laureate, Orhan Pamuk. Maureen Freelyís exquisite translation makes this notoriously 'difficult' writer much more accessible to English-speaking readers. If you only read one other book about Turkey, make it this one. 'Inside the Seraglio: Private Lives of the Sultans in Istanbul'
by John Freely Viking (1999) Fourteen years ago, when I was first researching The Aviary Gate (long before it had a title) I was lucky enough to meet John Freely and be taken round Istanbul by him. Having lived in Turkey for many years, he is encyclopedic about everything from history and architecture, to science instruments, and where to get the best mezze. and his book (now sadly out of print) ëStrolling Round Istanbulí is the classic guide to the city. Inside the Seraglio is a very good general history of the harem. 'The Imperial Harem Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire'
by Leslie P. Peirce, Oxford University Press (1993). This brilliant book by the historian Leslie P. Peirce was my bible while I was researching 'The Aviary Gate'. Beware though, itís an academic tome and only for the very keen! 'The Blue Guide to Istanbul'
John Freely and Hilary Sumner-Boysís classic guide, Strolling Round Istanbul, is now out of print, but happily some of it is reproduced in John Freelyís contributions to this accessible guide book. What to eat
Turkish cuisine, like all Middle eastern food, is excellent for snacks. They do not have to be elaborate: the important thing is that they should please the eye, with their patterns and colours, as well as the palate, with their taste and smell. Try making some houmous or yoghourt dips and serving them with a beautifully arranged plate of raw vegetables, such as radishes, baby carrots and cucumber. Alternatively, plates of fruit and nuts, such fresh almonds, hazel nuts, or John Carewís favouite, piatachios, on beautiful plates or bowls will have a very Ottoman feel. Fruits with an Ottoman ëflavourí to them might include apricots, pomegranates, slices of different coloured melon, fresh dates and grapes. Tip: In the Imperial Palace in the hot summers they sometimes served these fruit trays sprinkled with snow that had been stored in deep pits during the winter. Sweets and Pastries
The Ottomans loved sweets, and many of the things they enjoyed are now easily available in Middle Eastern shops and stores in Europe and the US. | 
