The Gilded Cage on the Bosphorus is the book that I always dreamed of writing. Ever since I was a little girl… Initially I did not intend to publish – it was written to encourage my children’s interest and sense of pride in their heritage, and to teach them forgotten customs and traditions. I wanted to record stories and memories that my grandfather shared with me of his unique life before they are lost forever, and I also hoped to discover more about the characters and personalities hidden behind faded family photographs… Then one day my father persuaded me that others might enjoy this personal story set during the twilight years of the Ottoman Empire, so it was published and today celebrates its first birthday!
The mystical splendour of the Orient has long fascinated the West, while misconceptions and false depictions of life in a harem, and of the eunuchs who serve inside, continue to intrigue. With this in mind, I thought that I would share this short passage describing a scene where one of my Great Aunt’s harem eunuchs is tasked with carrying out a rather unusual errand:
Passers-by glanced with curiosity at the tall, handsome Nubian eunuch walking briskly along the Grande Rue de Péra dressed in a thick black stambouline jacket and a warm woollen coat against the cold. Though the stares were unwelcome, he was accustomed to them: eunuchs from the Imperial households always attracted attention in the streets of İstanbul. His cherry-red fez was tilted slightly towards his left ear, and as he strode purposefully in the direction of Galatasaray, the black silk tassel that hung down to the nape of his neck swung gracefully to and fro like the pendulum of a grandfather clock.
In obedience to the instructions he had been given, he had taken the horse-drawn tram that plied between Ortaköy and Galata. Since it was such a beautiful day, he had decided to walk along the famous boulevard in the crisp winter sunshine: accordingly, he had got off a few stops earlier than he otherwise would have done. Fashionably-dressed ladies and gentlemen were making their way to the elegant hotels and restaurants or browsing in the windows of the expensive shops looking for something decadent to buy, and the sight of them gave him great pleasure. He walked past the towering iron gates of the Galatasaray Imperial High School, marvelling at the way the sun’s rays danced off their ornate gilded decorations, then round a slight bend in the road and on past the Dutch Embassy. Now he took out the neatly-folded piece of paper on which he had written the address – surely it could not be much further. Shortly afterwards, he spotted the huge gold letters spelling out the words ‘Sébah & Joaillier’ on the building that stood next to the Russian Embassy, which was easily identified by the double-headed eagle standing guard above the entrance. He slipped into the shadow cast by the red and white awning that veiled the shop’s frontage, and disappeared inside.
Brothers
bound by blood but fated to be enemies. Can their Empire survive or
will it crumble into myth?
Istanbul, 1903.
Since
his younger brother usurped the Imperial throne, Sultan
Murad V has
been imprisoned with his family for nearly thirty years.
The
new century heralds immense change. Anarchy and revolution threaten
the established order. Powerful enemies plot the fall of the once
mighty Ottoman Empire. Only death will bring freedom to the
enlightened former sultan. But the waters of the Bosphorus run deep:
assassins lurk in shadows, intrigue abounds, and scandal in the
family threatens to bring destruction of all that he holds dear…
For
over six hundred years the history of the Turks and their vast and
powerful Empire has been inextricably linked to the Ottoman dynasty.
Can this extraordinary family, and the Empire they built, survive
into the new century?
Set
against the magnificent backdrop of Imperial Istanbul, The
Gilded Cage on the Bosphorus is
a spellbinding tale of love, duty and sacrifice.
Evocative
and utterly beguiling, The
Gilded Cage on the Bosphorus is
perfect for fans of Colin Falconer, Kate Morton and Philippa Gregory.
getbook.at/gildedcagebosphorus
https://www.kobo.com/ebook/the-gilded-cage-on-the-bosphorus
Ayşe Osmanoğlu is a member of the Imperial Ottoman family, being descended from Sultan Murad V through her grandfather and from Sultan Mehmed V (Mehmed Reşad) through her grandmother. After reading History and Politics at the University of Exeter, she then obtained an M.A. in Turkish Studies at SOAS, University of London, specialising in Ottoman History. She lives in the UK with her husband and five children.
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