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Seton Lloyd's lively account of Turkey's early history is for the ever-increasing number of people visiting the ancient sites of this fabled land. Written by an archaeologist who has spent much of his life in the Near East, the book is not a conventional "guide" to the antiquities of Anatolia, nor is it a textbook. It is instead Lloyd's attempt to share his profound interest in an antique land, its inhabitants, and the surviving monuments that link the present to the past.Lloyd traces the many different cultures that have been a part of Turkey from prehistoric times to the Christian era. He recounts the exploits of the Hittite kings, the confrontation of Croesus and the Persian king Cyrus, the conquests of Alexander the Great, and Mithridates' epic resistance against Rome. Archaeological landmarks discussed include the discovery of the Alaca Hyk tombs, the attempts to establish the location of Troy, and the opening of the Tomb of Midas. Lloyd shows how each successive culture has left its mark on an astonishing variety of sites, from the shrines of atal Hyk to the temples of Ephesus and the churches founded by St. Paul. ... Read more

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Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free.This is an OCR edition with typos.Excerpt from book:IllWITH these suggestions, Anatolia and Turkish Nationalism may be dismissed from our survey. Shorn of their pretensions in Armenia and the countries south of Taurus, the Turks may experiment in the art of government without the tragedies which their present domination has brought upon mankind. The other lands and peoples of Western Asia, when they have ceased to be "Turkey," will be restored once more to the civilised world. What forces will shape their growth? Not, even indirectly, the discrowned Turk, for if he were not banned by his crimes he would still be doomed by his incapacity.The relative qualities of the different Near Eastern races are not in doubt. A German teacher in the German Technical School at Aleppo, who resigned his appointment as a protest against the Armenian atrocities in 1915, thus records his personal judgment in an open letter to the Reichstag: "The Young Turk is afraid of the Christian nationalities—Armenians, Syrians and Greeks—on account of their cultural and economic superiority, and he sees in their religion a hindrance to TurkifyingEin Wort an die Berufenen Vertreter des Deutschen Volkes: Eindriicke eines deutschen Oberlehrers aus der TUrkei, von Dr. Martin Niepage, Oberlehrer an der deutschen Realschule zu Aleppo, z.Zt. Wernigerode." (Printed in the second pamphlet issued by the Swiss Committee for Armenian Relief at Basel; English translation, "The Horrors of Aleppo." London, 1917: Hodder and Stoughton.)them by peaceful means. They must therefore be exterminated or converted to Islam by force. The Turks do not suspect that in so doing they are sawing off the branch on which they are sitting themselves. Yet who is to help Turkey forward if not the Greeks, Armenians, and Syrians, who constitute more than a quarter of the populati... ... Read more

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The Ottoman Empire and its conflicts provide one of the longest continuous narratives in military history. The Ottomans were never overthrown by a foreign power, and no usurper succeeded in taking the throne. This volume coversthe rise of the Ottomans, and their early years of fightingfor a foothold across the Bosphorous, before exploring the main campaigns and the part played by such elite troops as the Janissaries and the Sipahis. At its height under Suleymanthe Magnificent, the Ottoman Empire became the most powerful state in the world - a multinational, multilingual empire that stretched from Vienna to the upper Arab peninsula. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A Clear Look At Over 300 Years Of History
This is another great book in the Essential History series.One point that sticks out is that Stephen Turnbull clearly and concisely pulled together over 300 years of Ottoman history.The obvious shortcoming is the fact that many battles are given only a brief description.The reader is left wanting more.Given the size limitation of Osprey books, however, there is really no way to overcome this minor shortcoming.If more attention were given to one battle, then something else would have to be taken out.

The book contains some notable bits of information that the average reader will find fascinating.The activities of Vlad Dracul, the Impaler, are particularly interesting.The author does a splendid job of describing the real life activities of the man who became the literary inspiration for Count Dracula, the vampire.

The history of the Empire is told in chronological order.Thus, it is easy to follow.The author also expands on certain topics by devoting two chapters to a Serbian janissary and a civilian Grand Vizier.This adds a unique perspective and prevents the book from becoming nothing more than a list of battles.Bottom line: the author achieved his goal of writing a brief account of the Ottoman Empire, its battles, and the associated political motivations.This is no small feat given the expansive period covered.The book is a great reference on a part of history that is rarely taught in school.

A good starting point in learning about the Ottoman Empire
"The Ottoman Empire 1326-1699" by Stephen Turnbull is a good introductory book on the Ottoman Turks.I would recommend reading this volume on the Ottomans before the other Osprey books on them.The book chronologically covers the history of the Ottomans and the reader gains a sense of who they were and who they fought.As you may expect, the volume is richly illustrated with photographs, woodcuts, paintings, and maps.

Taking into account that the Osprey military books really are concise volumes and are limited to a specific number of pages, the fact that much of Ottoman history is quickly reviewed or even omitted is understandable.However, the fact that several pages have white space without illustration is less excusable.The 1683 Siege of Vienna is quickly glossed over leaving a half blank page at its conclusion.Without a doubt, there was room to expand on this battle.

My interest in the Ottoman Empire was learning who this foe was that attacked and troubled Europe, particularly Poland.Interestingly enough, details of wars between the Ottomans and Poles are throughout the book.On the cover of the book lies the dead king Wladislaw III at the battle of Varna 1444 and toward the end it briefly mentions King Jan Sobieski's assistance in the Siege of Vienna.If you are hoping to find many of the details of the Polish and Ottomans, you are going to be disappointed as they are few and far between.The lack of details is almost excessive as the book even fails to mention Sobieski was Polish.

A Vivid Military Narrative
Stephen Turnbull's The Ottoman Empire 1326 - 1699, Osprey's Essential History volume #62, is a lively and well-written narrative of a critical and brutal phase of Medieval warfare.Indeed, this volume is one of Turnbull's best efforts since his samurai efforts.Turnbull succeeds in bringing three centuries of Ottoman conquests into sharp focus and he adds great drama to this historical survey.However, Turnbull's otherwise fine effort is marred by two critical deficiencies: lack of sufficient maps to support the narrative and a neglect of Ottoman operations in North Africa and the Mideast.

After a short introduction and chronology, Turnbull's The Ottoman Empire 1326 - 1699 briefly examines the rise of the Ottomans and the nature of the Ottoman army.It is interesting to contrast modern armies in the Mideast with Turnbull's description of an Ottoman military system built on discipline, military efficiency and a willingness to adopt new technology and tactics.The bulk of the 55-page campaign narrative focuses on Turkish advances into the Balkans, with only slight asides for other areas.Turnbull also provides interesting sections on portrait of a soldier (a Serbian janissary), portrait of a civilian (a grand vizier), and a discussion of terror and toleration in the empire.Turnbull's bibliography is a bit skimpy.Certainly the weakest aspect of the volume is the limited number of maps; normally Osprey essential histories have ten maps but Turnbull provides only five and they are not particularly useful maps.Readers will note that very few of the battles or sieges listed in the narrative are depicted in the maps.The five maps include: the early Ottoman conquests (1291-1389); the major crusades to halt Ottoman expansion (1396/1444/1448); the expansion of the Ottoman Empire under Mehmet the Conqueror (1451-1481); the expansion of the Ottoman Empire from 1481 to 1683; and the Ottoman Eastern European Front in the 17th Century.

Turnbull's descriptions of the Turkish advance into the Balkans is exciting and vivid, with excellent descriptions of the victory at Nicopolis (1396), the defeat at Ankara (1402), and more victories at Varna (1444) and Constantinople (1453).One of the more interesting personalities that Turnbull highlights is Prince Vlad Dracula from Wallachia, who used terror and guerrilla warfare to contest the Ottoman advance into modern-day Romania.Dracula's terror tactics actually succeeded in intimidated even the Turks - a rare occurrence - and deterring invasion in 1462, although Dracula was later killed by the Turks.Turnbull also discusses the great Ottoman victory of Mohacs (1526) at length, and how this reinforced a tendency for land expansion.Throughout the narrative, Turnbull downplays economic, social and political dynamics in the Ottoman Empire and he attributes Ottoman decline in the 17th Century to poor leadership, internal divisions, and the growing professionalism of European armies.
Readers should note that Turnbull virtually ignores the Ottoman wars with Persia, and their conquests in the Arabian peninsula and North Africa, which renders this account overly Euro-centric.

What Turnbull presents in this volume is a dramatic and well-illustrated summarized account of the centuries-long struggle between the Ottomans and various European states for control of the Balkans and lower Eastern Europe.However, this account is far from comprehensive in either geographic scope or thematic depth, and should not be used as introduction to Ottoman history for those readers requiring a broader canvas. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Fascinating book - glorious photos!
As I read the text and admired the beautiful photographs of Jeremy Stafford-Deitsch's most recent work, I couldn't help but wish that it had been published years before when I was traveling through Europe in my early twenties. Had I realized that ruins on this scale exist in Turkey, I would have strayed a little farther off of the backpacker's beaten path during those footloose days.From the Neolithic discoveries at Çatalhöyük through Schliemann's claims at Troy, to the fall of the Byzantine Empire and the establishment of the Ottoman, Jeremy Stafford-Deitsch touches on all of the mighty players with whom we are familiar, and a great deal more with whom we are sadly not.

Yet the book is not just a compilation of photos, or a dry-as-dust timeline of civilization upon civilization.Instead, the reader is invited to discover the quiet but powerful significance of ruins that once rang with life, with the voices of people long since dead - communicating to the modern world through their monumental works.Stafford-Deitsch is not the first to discover these ruins; nor shall he be the last, and the easy progression of photos somehow recognizes and embraces this fact - weaving eighteenth century line drawings and artist's interpretations in with the breathtaking sites as we see them today. This in itself is significant; as one generation builds upon and revisits the discoveries of the ones before.

The large format photographs so loved by this author/photographer, are, as always, beautifully composed, sharp and well framed (see: The Monuments of Ancient Egypt by JSD) - and betray an eye that sees beyond the tangible to capture the sublime.Apart from the image that opens his text there is not the merest glimpse of a human being in the shots, yet his photos are never lacking in humanity.

I would highly recommend this well-researched and fascinating book, as much for the quality of the photos, as for the history lesson with a refreshing dose of philosophy and introspection.Stafford-Deitsch does a fine job of chronicling the rise and fall of the many civilizations that have peopled Anatolia's mountains, landscapes and shores over the millennia.I shall certainly turn to it for inspiration when I shelve the mortgage and grab the backpack once again!
... Read more

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The Gallipoli expedition of 1915, the brainchild of Winston Churchill, was designed to knock the Turkish Empire out of the First World War and open a supply route to Russia. The campaign is characterised by the military incompetence of the higher commands, particularly the Allies. However, in spite of this, Gallipoli deserves to be, and is, also remembered for the heroism and resourcefulness of both the British army and the men of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. This book details the battles, hardships and eventual evacuation that these men had to go through, in this comprehensive guide to the Gallipoli landings. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

A too factual description of the campaign
This book is hard to read and way too factual - always talking about this regiment and this battalion moving this many yards and then joining with that other regiment, etc.It is very hard to get a feeling of the battles that took place and the immensity of the human suffering this campaign caused.It is utterly missing drama andemotion.

In addition, despite all that verbal detail, the maps are not detailed enough - making them hard to follow against the written details.

In short, this book is not easy to read and- Alan Moorehead's book makes a better job doing that.

An Excellent Jumping-Off Point....
One of the best things that Haythornthwaite's book has going for it is the concise, easy-to-understand manner in which it was written, which is especially helpful in descriptions of the military manoevers that were conducted throughout the Gallipoli campaign. Historians already familiar with the basics of the campaign and looking for more in-depth discussion would likely be better served by Laffin's Damn the Dardanelles or the Gallipoli volumes of C.E.W. Bean's vast, official history, The Story of ANZAC.

That said, Haythornthwaite provides an excellent, well-written overview of the Gallipoli campaign, discussing both what happened and why things went so wrong. The color plates are particularly helpful in discerning the strategy behind various troop movements, and the book's bibliography would likely prove very useful for those inclined to use this work as a starting point for further research. Overall, a valuable resource for anyone interested in investigating the fight for Gallipoli.

Little news in Gallipoli 1915
Those who have read Alan Mooreheads brilliant book on the battle of Gallipoli will find little extra in Haythornthwaite's book.A few coloured plates is not enough to buy this book.

A victory for Mustafa Kemal, actually
Almost everything mentioned within this book have been noted somewhere else. Haythornthwaite did a good job of putting it altogether and made our life easier to read it in one piece.

Above else it shows that MustafaKemal, loved by some and hated by others, actually gain the most out ofthis disasterous ANZAC's campaign. He ascended to power only to liquidizethe 'last'/'only' Khilafah that the Muslim had by 1924. You'll be amazedand wondered whether the whole thing was a 'setup' to break the OttomanDevlet from the inside.

In the end the Ottoman lost the whole war byalligning to the wrong side (Central Powers) in that pitiful World War I.

a perceptive view into Australaisias militarys' darkest hour
this book provides an insightful look into both the factual and the causal history of the galipoli campaign. Whether you are curious about the campaign from seeing the movie or are just curious about one of the mosthopelessly galant and dramatic fights ofthe first world war, you are sureto love it. This book is also a valuable aide in understanding Australia'smiliary foreign policy as it's reprucussions are felt, in spirit more thanin a genuine resentment of Great Britain, still today ... Read more

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By using untapped Latin and Turkish sources, and focusing on the trading partnership between the Genoese and the Turks, Kate Fleet demonstrates how this interaction contributed to the economic development of the early Ottoman state and to Ottoman territorial expansion. Where previous literature has emphasized the military prowess of the early Ottomans and their role as "the infidel," this book considers their economic aspirations and their integration into the economy of the Mediterranean basin. This readable, authoritative study illuminates an obscure period in early Ottoman history. ... Read more

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This book provides a broad history of the Seljuq Turks from their origins and early conquests in the 10^th century, through the rise of empire, until its dissolution at the end of the 12^th. Where the history of the Seljuqs is usually studied in the context of medieval Persian, Arabic or Islamic history, this book considers the topic from the perspective of Turkish history.

Examining the corpus of academic work on the period and how Turkish historiography has interpreted and understood the Seljuqs, the author demonstrates how the Great Seljuq Empire can be considered not only in a historical context, but as the instigator of Turko-Islamic civilization. Rejecting traditional Turkish scholarship, which places Iranian culture and Islam as the civilising elements in the Great Seljuq Empire, the author shows how the nature of nomadic pastoral empires have come under fresh scrutiny, reassessing Seljuq history and the framework within which it has been treated.

This book provides a unique insight into the adoption to an urban environment of Turkic expectations that were forged on the Eurasian steppes, showing how the outcome put its stamp on the second millennium throughout the Middle East and Balkans. It will be an important addition to the literature on Medieval Islamic, Turkish and Middle Eastern history.

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Turkey, a Muslim-majority country, is pivotal to Western security interests in the Middle East. Its ruling party, the AKP, has Islamic roots but operates within a framework of strict secular democracy, which has generated controversy over the boundaries between secularism and religion. This monograph describes the politico-religious landscape in Turkey and evaluates how the balance between secular and religious forces has changed over the past decade. ... Read more

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The Hemshin are without doubt one of the most enigmatic peoples of Turkey and the Caucasus. As former Christians who converted to Islam centuries ago yet did not assimilate into the culture of the surrounding Muslim populations, as Turks who speak Armenian yet are often not aware of it, as Muslims who continue to celebrate feasts that are part of the calendar of the Armenian Church, and as descendants of Armenians who, for the most part, have chosen to deny their Armenian origins in favour of recently invented myths of Turkic ancestry, the Hemshin and the seemingly irreconcilable differences within their group identity have generated curiosity and often controversy.

The Hemshin is the first scholarly work to provide an in-depth study of these people living in the eastern Black Sea region of Turkey. This groundbreaking volume brings together chapters written by an international group of scholars that cover the history, language, economy, culture and identity of the Hemshin. It is further enriched with an unprecedented collection of maps, pictures and appendices of up-to-date statistics. The Hemshin forms part of the Peoples of the Caucasus series, an indispensable and yet accessible resource for all those with an interest in the Caucasus.

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Approaches little-studied aspects of Turkish national identity from unique and revealing angles, offering a variety of new insights into how history has informed—and created—modern Turkey.

Turkish society is frequently accused of having amnesia. It has been said that there is no social memory in Turkey before Mustafa Kemal Ataturk founded modern Turkey after World War I. Indeed, in 1923, the newly founded Turkish Republic committed to a modernist future by erasing the memory of its Ottoman past. Now, almost eighty years after the establishment of the Republic, the grandchildren of the founders have a different relationship with history. New generations make every effort to remember, record, and reconcile earlier periods. The multiple, personalized representations of the past which they have recovered allow contemporary Turkish citizens to create alternative identities for themselves and their communities. Unlike its futuristic and homogenizing character at the turn of the twentieth century, Turkish nationalism today uses memories to generate varied narratives for the nation and its minority groups.

Contributors to this volume come from such diverse disciplines as anthropology, comparative literature, and sociology, but they share a common understanding of contemporary Turkey and how its different representations of the past have become metaphors through which individuals and groups define their cultural identity and political position. They explore the ways people challenge, reaffirm, or transform the concepts of history, nation, homeland, and "Republic" through acts of memory- effectively demonstrating that memory can be both the basis of cultural reproduction and a form of resistance. The introduction of comparative material to other societies is rare and adds an important new dimension to the analyses. ... Read more

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Resting on two continents, Turkey reflects and absorbs the cultures of both East and West and nowhere is this more evident than along its Aegean and Mediterranean coasts. This is a land immersed in history and mythology: it is where Anthony met Cleopatra, where Herodotus, the "father" of history, was born and where legendary battles were fought--from Alexander the Great to Gallipoli. The Western Shores of Turkey is the distillation of a succession of journeys that John Freely made along this coast--an odyssey spanning a quarter of a century. By bus, car and caique, on foot and post boat, from Istanbul to Antakya (Antioch) on the Syrian border, he discovered the charm of modern Turkey and the wonders of its past. The result is both an informative guide and a remarkable travelogue for all who follow in his footsteps.
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Customer Reviews (2)

Intro to Turkish history & archaeology
This is a personal account of travels along Turkey's Aegean shore, with a strong emphasis on history and archaology.The author has a detailed knowledge of all the periods of Turkish history and places each archaeologic site in its historical context: original inhabitants, Greeks, Romans, Persians, Byzantines, Selcuk Turks and Ottomans, into the twentieth century.He also identifies sites associated with various mythologic and biblical events and those related to Homer's Troy.It's a bit encyclopedic but never boring, and greatly enhances a trip to Turkish Anatolia.

Travelogue of Western Aegean Turkey
This isa great followup to the Blue Guide for Turkey but is focused on the Western Aegean shores of Turkey.Written in a style that feels like John Freely (Author) is sitting with the reader talking about his visits to many fascinating ancient sites from the western (Aegean) part of Turkey.

This is not the typical guide book to the sights, but rather a visit to the many places Freely visited himself and an explanation of what he found and saw.

Although out of date by a few years, the ruins and ancient cities described in the book are several thousand years old.

I found a copy of the Blue Guide to Turkey and it covers other areas besides the western part of Turkey.It is even further out of date but that matters little when you read about a city that was founded 2,500 to 3,000 years ago and the abandoned 1,500 years ago.

This is a good read if you are interested in knowing what it is you are seeing when you go to the ancient sites in western Turkey. ... Read more

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* First complete retelling of an important but little-known campaign

* Eyewitness accounts from a colorful cast of German SS troops, British commandos, partisans, spies, Greek pirates, and more

Both Winston Churchill and Adolf Hitler wanted the Aegean Sea in 1943. The British prime minister saw an opportunity to force neutral Turkey into the Allied camp and tie up German forces as the war in Europe gained speed, while the Nazi leader wanted to keep Turkey neutral and maintain Germany's foothold in the Mediterranean and Greece. The conflict came to a head with British naval and amphibious assaults, primarily on the islands of Cos and Leros, and culminated in a German victory. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

War in the Agean
Having spent a great while of my youth in Rhodos, I was curious about the many Italian Helmets (with bullet holes clear through) and war artifacts seemingly everyone had.This book is a great historical account of what occurred in the Dodecanese Islands.I asked my father about it and he corroberated the campaigns I read about in the book.I was amazed to find out the Germans held garrisons intact in the area until the war ended. If one wanted to explore the events of this campaign, take this book and a trip through these Islands.Most are still like they were and the older Greeks seem to know where the actions occurred. Note this is more of a history book than an action packed novel, but was well done.

War in the Eastern Med
This is a British story about an area in the Eastern Med that was obsessed over by Churchill but he was unable to allocate the necessary assets to control it. The Dodecanese Islands were highly desired by Britain, Italy, Turkey, Greece, Germany and toward the end of the war by the Russians. The US was the only major player who had absolutely no interest in the area. The authors give a brief but adequate summary of the Med going back before WWI and shows how the Italians had manuvered their way into controling the islands, how the British with interests in Egypt, the Suez Canal and the Middle East also had interest in these islands as a defense to keep the Italians away from their territory.The authors extend the summary to include the war in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. They also clearly and repeatedly show the friction between Britain and the US over strategy and how the US resolutely refused to even consider taking action east of Italy which the British considered a gross mistake.

Hitler considered the Dodecanese Islands the gateway to the Balkans and his Rumanian oil fields as well as a protective flank to his AGS in Russia and decided to take over for the Italians. Hitler started with Rhodes, commandeering it from Mussolini and then captured several other key islands to the North, expelling the British. Leros was especially costly for the British and Italians. Cos was less difficult. The battle action including the air war was good. The Germans did use paratroopers again as well as landing troops on the islands. I wish the authors had included more German perspective than they did but the action was still good.

The story ends in 1943 when the British gave up the effort to retake the islands and for the rest of the war the area and the German garrisons there went dormant.

The book, despite the US bashing, was quite a learning experience for me for little of the area's history was known to me. For me, the book clarifies why Churchill obsessed over the eastern Med and to the extreme measures undertaken to convince the US to assist Britain in maintaining and increasing its influence in the area. Besides all the political maneuvering, it also shows all the half measures the British took in their failing attempt to control the islands. It also shows the propensity of Churchill in trying to do too much, in spreading their forces too thin in Africa while trying to defend Greece and Crete and it almost cost them Egypt. If Hitler had adequately supported Rommel, the British probably would have lost Africa.

The British have always said FDR and Eisenhower were naive and shortsighted when it came to their insistence on Overlord at the expense of Italy and the Balkans but with the extent the Pacific war was prosecuted I disagree. With the Germans tied down in Italy, there was a good chance for a successful landing in Greece or Albania but there would have been a good chance of provoking Stalin into breaking the alliance and driving us back into the Aegean. He would not have liked any interference with his aim of taking over eastern Europe. If that happened, the initial results would have been terrible. This may sound extreme but it was a possibility that Eisenhower must have thought about. If the US had handled the war in the Pacific differently, delayed retribution, there were several options open to Eisenhower and the Balkan invasion was one of them. Imagining what the war would have evolved into with a Balkan chapter is fascinating.

Interesting & Fairly Complete Story of the German Campaign in 1943 against the Dodecanese Islands
This book covers an almost unknown (to American readers) campaign by the Germans to conquer the Dodecanese Island chain in the autuum of 1943.They were opposed by the British Royal Navy and Army with help from Italian units that had gone over to the Allies and Greek partisans.To make the story short, the Germans completely defeated the British and their allies.How and why this happened is the story of this book.

It is universally accepted that German paratroopers made no combat assaults by parachute after their great losses on Crete in 1941.Well, that is incorrect.They made another assault in 1943 against the island of Leros and were once again successful.Read it here!

Probably the most startling aspect of the Aegean campaign is that the Germans were victorious in the Fall of 1943, well after the invasion of Italy or the Battle of Kursk, and at a time where the Germans were in retreat on all fronts.Except here.The Wehrmacht was still dangerous and capable of defeating ill-conceived actions by the Allies.

The authors spend a good deal of time explaining the British and American political positions concerning a campaign in the Eastern Mediterranean.Essentially, the Americans wanted nothing to detract from an assault on Western Europe and Germany whereas Churchill and the British wanted to nibble around the edges while the Soviet Union did the heavy lifting.Churchill was not to be dissuaded from wasting his assets in the Aegean, and this disaster was the result.Of course, the Germans also wasted attention on this meaningless theater, and the victorious troops in this campaign were eventually left stranded on the islands after Russia forced the Germans to retreat from Greece.

This campaign makes for fascinating reading, and shows how the British were better in defense than attack.Their strategy and generalship left much to be desired, but nonetheless it was the superior fighting qualities of the German troops that ultimately tipped the scales.The Germans simply were more tenacious and outlasted the British.

This book was originally published in 1974 by its British authors, and supposedly was revised somewhat in this 2008 edition.Interestingly, the authors tend to blame the US for not supporting the British in this debacle, but one needs to remember that the US high command had made their position known more than once.Once again the squabble between the British and American leadership in World War II rears its ugly head.Americans said "No", the British said "Yes", and when the British went ahead and were defeated, it was the US's fault for not saving the situation.Sound familiar?

At any rate, this book is very well done and an excellent read.Since Americans interested in World War II are likely to be totally unfamiliar with this campaign, I recommend this book to round out their libraries.Frankly, it is the only work that I know which covers this campaign with more than a passing comment.I gave it four stars since there needed to be more coverage of the German side to enable the reader to come away with a comprehensive understanding of the campaign. ... Read more

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Boasting nearly 7,000 titles, Turkey has produced more films than any other country in the Middle East or the Balkans. While the films enjoy great popularity at home, they haven't received the respect they deserve beyond their borders. Frequently, Turkey's cinema has been painted as imitative, simplistic or underdeveloped, casting it in shadow to the West. But things are finally changing. Turkish filmmakers like Nuri Bilge Ceylan are turning up in cinematheques worldwide. Critics are taking notice. And now general readers will have the overview they need to contextualize this remarkable body of work.

Examining both popular genres and art films, Cinema in Turkey deals with the country's entire cinematic tradition, including not only its high point with Yesilcam-Turkey's popular film industry of the 1950s to the 1980s-but also its early years and current revival. In addition to surveying the cinematic landscape and recounting its history, Cinema in Turkey analyzes the arts conventions from which the first films emerged, region-specific permutations, and the cultural ramifications of Turkey's distinct forms of modernization and nation-building. ... Read more

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An esteemed journalist travels to Turkey to investigate the legacy of the Armenian genocide and the quest for Kurdish statehood.

In 2001, Christopher de Bellaigue, then the Economist's correspondent in Istanbul, wrote a piece about the history of Turkey for The New York Review of Books. In it, he briefly discussed the killing and deportation of half a million Armenians in 1915. These massacres, he suggested, were best understood as part of the struggles that attended the end of the Ottoman empire.

After the story was published, the magazine was besieged with letters. This wasn't war, the correspondents said; it was genocide. And the death toll was not half a million but three times that many. De Bellaigue was mortified. How had he gotten it so wrong? He went back to Turkey, but found that the national archives had sealed all documents pertaining to those times. Undeterred and armed with a stack of contraband histories, he set out to the conflicted southeastern Turkish city of Varto to discover what had really happened.

There, de Bellaigue found a place in which the centuries-old conflict among Turks, Armenians, and Kurds was still very much alive. His government escort began their association by marching with him arm in arm through the town's shopping district to show his presence; the local police chief, sent by the central office in Ankara to keep an eye on the Kurds, was sure he was a spy. He found houses built from the ruins of old Armenian churches, young boys playing soccer with old skulls, and a cast of villagers who all seemed unwilling to talk.

What emerges is both an intellectual detective story and a reckoning with memory and identity that brings to life the basic conflicts of the Middle East: between statehood and religion, imperial borders and ethnic identity. Combining a deeply informed view of the area's history with the testimonials of the townspeople who slowly come to trust him, de Bellaigue unravels the enigma of the Turkish twentieth century, a time that contains the death of an empire, the founding of a nation, and the near extinction of a people. Rebel Land exposes the historical and emotional fault lines that lie behind many of today's headlines: about Turkey and its faltering bid for membership into the EU, about the Kurds and their bid for nationhood, and the Armenians' campaign for genocide recognition.

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Customer Reviews (5)

What is going on ?
His type of writing and language is pathetic. He should take some essential college course to write a research paper or a memoir. I just drilled of his lacking intelligent sentiment of history from the first page through the end of the book. I just dont recommend this book. I wish i have chance to get my money back.

Change of heart for De Bellaigue
This book showed me, as an Armenian, how easily most of us are and were duped by Turkish sweet talk. Turkish is one of those languages, when spoken well, sounds like singing. De Bellaigue had once fallen in love with Turkey, until he started looking at things in a new way. But it is important to note that most of what is "Turkish" belongs either to Armenians, Greeks or Arabs. There is no such thing as "Turkish" coffee or "Turkish" basterma. These are all things that were created in that region. The Turks are not natives to that soil; the Armenians are. It is important to know that, and I'm glad De Bellaigue included the letter from Prof. James Russell stating that very fact. The Armenians were not "foreigners", the Turks were. The Turks are originaly from Mongolia. Most of our Armenian grandparents only spoke Turkish. My mother would tell me how she always would get upset at her grandfather, born in Kayseri, whenever he spoke Turkish in the house or listened to Turkish music. He would cry and answer that that was his childhood, and that it reminded him of his family. It is ridiculous to see some of the commentary online, clearly made by those who benefit from Turkish propaganda in some way or have fallen in love with that Turkish sweet talk. What on earth does "the alleged genocide" mean. "Alleged" states that someone somewhere says that it happened, and that it's not proven. The Armenian genocide is proven. There are historical letters, photos, etc. Americans, Germans and others witnessed this and wrote about it. We did not make the story up. Look up Ambassador Morgenthau, President Wilson, Armin T. Wegner, the Turkish Tribunals (1919), the trial of Soghomon Tehlirian, etc. The list goes on and on. The historical records are there. You cannot change history. I do not hate Turkish people, but I do hate the government and what it is doing to brainwash its public. Our grandparents were neighbours with the Turks, they shared coffee with them and laughed with them. We were like family. If the genocide never happened, Armenians and Turks would still be friends today. But this slow and calculated process of exterminating the Armenians came directly from the government, starting with Sultan Abdul Hamid (Hamidian massacres), and all the way to 1915 and Talat Pasha, Enver Pasha and Jemal Pasha. It continues today with the denials. It is important to note that the Turks opened their prisons in 1915 and released all of their criminals in order for them to serve in the Turkish army and be sent into the depths of Anatolia (to get rid of, in any way a criminal would, the peaceful Armenians). Does anything justify genocide? Armenians wanted equal rights with their Turkish neighbors. Equal right on their own ancestral lands! They wanted to vote, they wanted to be free to pray in their churches. I see our story as very similar to that of the Native Americans. We do not have the military might, but we have a rich culture and history. Most of our land were lost, but we still survive. As long as there is even one of us left, our history continues. I say to anyone who denies the Armenian genocide to speak to an Armenian directly. Ask any Armenian about his/her grandparents. Ask them how many were lost. You may wonder, why is the recognition of the genocide so important, after almost a hundred years? If someone hurt your mother, father, children, or grandparents, would you forget it? Or would you want others to hear of it? And what if someone hurt your neighbor, without reason, would you speak up? Pain is passed down through the generations. You cannot silence that. There are NO two sides to genocide. Only the truth prevails, and God is watching. De Bellaigue, thank you for the reference to the Armenian goddess Astghik and the connection to Mush. Thank you for the silver belt (at the end of the book), and especially that touching story from the Kurd (speaking of a brother and sister).

Interesting but not as good as I had hoped
The book sounded a lot more interesting than it turns out to be.It is the story of two young Algerians (one dead, one alive) in France and their respective efforts to make sense of both their lives and that of their father.It references the Holocaust and and the cover states, "The first Arab novel to confront the Holocaust" but that is far from true in my opinion.

Armenia and Kurdistan: The Rebel Land
After reading a review of Rebel Land in the International Herald Tribune, I was intrigued enough to buy the book.The author it seemed had moved to Turkey as a young journalist and had rather literally gone native.He had written an historical essay, which triggered a venomous response from an Armenian professor.Subsequently and somewhat remorsefully he undertook this investigative book to learn the sordid details of the region in Eastern Turkey where the `cleansings' took place and where today Kurds live under continuing pressure from the Turkish government.Given the subject and the desire of American and European parliaments to pass judgement on this history, the topic is obviously still relevant.The book is very well written; the author's perspective now clearly neutral and objective.

Parts of the narrative are, despite the tragic subject matter, quite poetic.Let me just note a few examples:
* The Great Monastery of Surp Karapet, the sum of fifteen centuries of labour, accretions, modification and repair, has been reduced to its separate parts. Black stone smoothed by the centuries, ...
* The fractures running through this society mean that dramatically different versions of history are being recounted in neighbouring villages... Vartolus use the past to acquit their ancestors and string up their enemies.
* I got a new impression of the past as a chaotic series of emotions, of outrage and guilt, scornful of chronology and often founded on gossip or hagiography.
* ...the mass graves are planted with trees, a pleasant park grows over the bones.

The author has recounted the history of this region from the late nineteenth century when the Ottoman Empire came unravelled until the present.As the empire tried to hold on against the historical trends and encroaching powers, they effectively `cleansed' the area of Christian Armenians through genocide and forced resettlements.The Kurds moved into the vacuum and became the majority of the population.Today the Kurds themselves are under cultural pressure to accept an identity as Turkish nationals and to give up any dream of a Kurdish nation.The history is presented, but it is depicted in the author's on-site research through discussions with current residents and later generations of Armenian refugees.In many ways the book reads as a non-fiction novel.

I have already commended the author for his objective neutrality.However, I wish to qualify that and to offer one brief critique.There is one very beautiful passage which introduces the chapter, "The Siege of Varto."That passage poignantly captures the tragedy of mass murder.But the passage also reveals the author's own belief system.He approaches a truly neutral perspective on the world, but then lapses into a romantic acceptance of ethnicity as though it were a substantive thing and not merely ephemeral.The modern world, just as the author relates, has followed a tragic path from a period of empires with broad regions of various subject peoples to today's `myths' of national identity, where minorities are eliminated, suppressed or acculturated and absorbed.While Turkey is in the news once again regarding the Armenian genocide, they are not the only nation to have employed such nation-building tactics.Americans `cleared' North America of its Indian tribes and Israel is presently suppressing Palestinians.No nation is free of guilt.And yet every group that chooses death for the sake of culture, language or religion has made a tragic choice.There is no reason to do so other than for the vain preservation of ancestral traditions.There must be a better path to the future.

Unfortunately the tragedy of contemporary politics is that there is no political process available to pursue an alternative path.Essentially the UN recognizes present national boundaries, while respecting minority rights and the sovereignty of national governments at the same time.The contradictions are evident but not addressed.The UN is powerless and resolution of minority problems reduces very simply to a question of which power, be it the USA, Russia or China, believes it has a right to intervene to defend its interests.For someone of the author's diverse background and obvious sensitivities I would have hoped that he might delve just that bit deeper.

David Hillstrom, Author

Fine Investigative Reporting
Christopher de Belliague is a respected British journalist who lived for almost thirteen years as an expatriate foreign correspondent for The Economist and The New York Review Of Books and other papers in Iran and Turkey. He spoke the languages. He knew the customs He obviously loved the area. He appears to have been the ideal reporter- honest, articulate, knowledgeable skillful, observant and, above all, non-judgmental.

In 2001 he had written an article for the New York Review of Books in which he mentioned the alleged killings of Armenians in Anatolia (Eastern Turkey) in 1915 and was immediately besieged by letters saying he had missed the fact that it was more than that - it was Genocide with a capital G and it was carried out by the Turkish Government. So, being the investigative reporter that he is, he decided to look for himself; and over the course of a couple of years and in four extended visits to the village of Varto in the Province of Mus in Turkey he interviewed, lived with, got to know the people who were either there in 1915 or whose families were there or who knew by experience or tradition what had happened. This is the story of what he saw and heard; and it is particularly relevant because as this is written there is pending in the United States Congress a controversial Resolution condemning the Turkish Government for Genocide in the 1915 events.

Before you read this book, however - and I do recommend it to you if you are interested either in this history or this area - there are two things which need to be said.

First, get a map and see the area where the alleged Genocide took place. Varto is closer as the bird flies to Teheran and Baghdad than it is to Istanbul; it's 500 miles from Ankara, 125 miles from Yerevan the capital of he modern state of Armenia and in a somewhat lonely corner of the world that most of us in the West know nothing about - where a lot of killing could happen in 1915 and never be known to the historical record.Yes, the event could have been covered up.

Second, I will ask you to be the judge as you read this book. Was there a policy of killing the Armenians? Or was it just the fact that generational hatreds between Kurd and Turk and Armenian who had lived in the same inflammable territory for hundreds of years were suddenly put to the torch with the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in 1914-15 and, out of control, the Turks wanted the Armenians out of the country they had called their home for generations. To this day the Turks deny having anything to do with what happened - and they contend that not much happened. (Parenthetically: Those of the generation of this writer - b. 4.27.17 - know that something happened. Every one of us was told as a child to "finish your cereal. Just think of the starving Armenians".) The Armenians contend that the pogrom killed 1,500,000 of their brothers and sisters and they want - what? And here is a question I found myself asking as I read the book. Just what do the Armenians want; and what good would it do today if they got it? Wouldn't it only serve to continue to irritate the festering wounds of the past?

The book has so much evidence of generational hatred, blood feud, historical anger, hate and violence over hundreds of years by so many people and so many tribes against so many other people and so many other tribes that, were I a Judge here hearing the evidence to determine whether or not there was the Genocide as claimed I would have interrupted counsel about half way through the case and after hearing witness after witness repeat his or her particularly slanted story of events and would have said "Counsel, I've heard enough. .I'm sure that further testimony along this line would only be repetitious.I'll take the case under submission and let you know my decision after I've thought about it for a while". Right or wrong that's what I did as the reader. I couldn't finish the book. It was just too much - the same story after story of hate and violence and blood. And the verdict? Apart from finding that thousands upon thousands of Armenians were killed fleeing out of the country in 1915 I don't think anyone can ever say with that certitude of decision which is so necessary in a matter like this that there was a Turkish policy of extermination. Nor does the author. But you should read the book and make your own judgment. It's a good book if for no other reason than, read as a travel book, it takes the 21st century reader back in time to a way of life that exists today the same as it did 200 years ago.



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Product Description
This major contribution to Ottoman history is now published in paperback in two volumes: the original single hardback volume (CUP 1995) has been widely acclaimed as a landmark in the study of one of the most enduring and influential empires of modern times. The authors provide a richly detailed account of the social and economic history of the Ottoman region, from the origins of the Empire around 1300 to the eve of its destruction during World War One. The breadth of range and the fullness of coverage make these two volumes essential for an understanding of contemporary developments in both the Middle East and the post-Soviet Balkan world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

amazing
this is simply the best book on economic history of the ottoman empire...you cant find a better study than this wonderful piece of historiography on the subject...

from the archives: nuts and bolts about agriculture & trade
I wouldn't say that social history enters much into the book.The authors have written a straightforward translation and interpretation of the Ottoman archives laying out patterns in revenue from land taxes and customs fees.Reading like a series of focused essays without quite as much synthesis as I would like, still it was a worthwhile read.Most valuable were the new insightsI got into the relative importance of trades routes and the organization of land ownership and taxation over time.Also interesting to see was the primacy of slaves and silk in the customs revenue stream, and the impact of commercial motives on Ottoman military expansion.All in all, this is a fine book for those wanting deep knowledge of the early Ottoman economy, civil and state.

One of the best in Ottoman Studies
People often avoid books like this because they are not as easy readers as "popular" history books, which often do rely on other people's research. Inalcik's work is amazingly detailed and accurate in details. This book is one of his many valuable contributions to this field. Understanding the economic and social forces at play in this time period has an importance beyond the Ottoman history, as most readers of this book would agree.

best book about this subject
According to my knowledge this is the best book ever written about Ottoman History. Instead of reading nonscholar books like Lord Kinross's Ottoman Century's I recommend it to everbody. This book studies economic history ofOttoman empire which is essential to understant political history and soon. A must read for all interested about Ottomna history.

The Best review of ottoman social and economic history
if someone wants to investigate ottoman history Inalcýk's books may be sophisticated guides for him.He managed to approach with a new methodology to ottoman history with a special emphasis on social and economic life.Hewrote a lot of papers and books stemming from his own archieval studieswhich became main sources for ottoman history studies. In this bookÝnalcýk discusses the most neglected period of ottoman social and economichistory,with little attention to political history that had been widelydiscussed by hiscollegues before. ... Read more

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Nishapuri flourished in the 12th century and wrote a succinct history in "Persian of the Saljuq Turks", a tribal group from Central Asia who in the 11th century established a vast empire, enduring for some century and a half and bringing about lasting changes to the ethnic composition and the patterns of land utilisation in the northern tier of the Middle East. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Minute Documentation
A penetrating and detailed analysis of the chronology of one of the world's least known cultures.The story of the Seljuk Turks offers an insight into the Turkic migrations from Central Asia, their strengths and beliefs, and their lasting impact on the people, like the Persians, Arabs and Ottomans, who were their contemporaries.This book is a monument to minutiae and is recommended only for people with a specific interest in this subject. ... Read more