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Istanbul
- A Tale of Three Cities
- Narrated by: Bettany Hughes
- Length: 24 hrs and 35 mins
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Istanbul
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Summary
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
Istanbul has always been a place where stories and histories collide and crackle, where the idea is as potent as the historical fact. From the Qu'ran to Shakespeare, this city with three names - Byzantium, Constantinople, Istanbul - resonates as an idea and a place, and overspills its boundaries - real and imagined. Standing as the gateway between the East and West, it has served as the capital of the Roman, Byzantine, Latin and Ottoman Empires. For much of its history it was known simply as The City, but, as Bettany Hughes reveals, Istanbul is not just a city, but a story.
In this epic new biography, Hughes takes us on a dazzling historical journey through the many incarnations of one of the world's greatest cities. As the longest-lived political entity in Europe, over the last 6,000 years Istanbul has absorbed a mosaic of micro-cities and cultures all gathering around the core. At the latest count archaeologists have measured forty-two human habitation layers. Phoenicians, Genoese, Venetians, Jews, Vikings, Azeris all called a patch of this earth their home. Based on meticulous research and new archaeological evidence, this captivating portrait of the momentous life of Istanbul is visceral, immediate and scholarly narrative history at its finest.
Written and read by Bettany Hughes
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
Critic reviews
'Life-filled and life-affirming history, steeped in romance and written with verve' GUARDIAN
'Richly entertaining and impeccably researched' Peter Frankopan
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What listeners say about Istanbul
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Boggy of Bucks
- 21-10-19
Devastating
The history of Istanbul is the history of man’s inhumanity to man, the greed for power and it’s appalling consequences, and the absurd, ridiculous optimism of the human race.
This is a brilliant book and teaches us how lessons are never learned but only repeated endlessly by those who are ignorant of history or too arrogant to bother. I found it profoundly depressing. And incredibly inspiring.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Thoughtful shopper
- 25-01-20
Fascinating, well written and well read
I am really enjoying listening to this fascinating book. If you are a student of human nature, history and/or theology or just plain fascinated by how and why the world is like it is, it is well worth a read /listen.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- MSrini
- 22-09-17
A masterpiece!
History needs to be discovered with truth and objectivity, warts and all; but above all, to ensure it fosters enlightenment and wisdom, rather than anger and rancour, history needs to be explored with compassion and sympathy for the protagonists - not necessarily an easy task by any means, and requiring immense maturity. Bettany Hughes accomplishes this with sublime skill - a must-read.
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- WP
- 13-04-18
Excellent story of the city
Really excellent story. I knew nothing about Istanbul so picked this book and now will want to read more about turkey and Greece and this part of the world. The only downside was not clear and slower pronunciations of dates. I often had to listen twice to make sure I got the date right. Some were pronounced so quickly that a few times I had to return to that passage to make sure I heard it correctly. I think it is a downside of this recording!
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- Amazon Customer
- 26-11-23
Simply fascinating
This lady could make Grimsby on a wet windy day interesting so interesting and thought provoking
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- Daniela Barani
- 14-04-24
Spellbounding
Beautifully written and read, this was a fascinating account of a city with three names.
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- William Hayes
- 11-05-17
This is a really well written, mind opening book
I really enjoyed listening to this book. The connections that Hughes draws between ancient history and the modern world are fascinating and occasionally very moving.
This is popular history at its best. It opens up undiscovered aspects of an old world whilst simultaneously shining light upon our own.
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9 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- MR S P FRANCIS
- 08-11-22
Fascinating story of a vibrant and historic city
Fantastic, the breadth and depth of knowledge is only matched by the utter joy and enthusiasm that comes across from author and narrator Bettany Hughes
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- Amazon Customer
- 02-05-17
A city history that needed to be told.
A thorough history of a fascinating city. Excellently narrated by author. What a pleasure. Recommended.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Unique Pseudonym
- 08-05-18
This would be an amazing travel listen
I've always appreciated Bettany Hughes as a presenter so I knew I'd probably enjoy this too. I think she brought the stories too life in a way that would have been lost with a different narrator.
I must admit my attention wandered occasionally from the final third of the book and I found myself relistening to some sections that had washed over me. I'm not sure if that's because of where my interests or the writer's.
One final thing. The style made me feel like I was having a personal historical tour of the city of the kind I'm sure I could never afford in reality. With that in mind, and if I'm ever able to visit, I would definitely want to take this audio book and my earphones with me as I discovered the city for myself.
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