Istanbul_ The Collected Traveler_ An Inspired Companion Guide - Barrie Kerper [202]
Alexander’s Path, by Freya Stark (Overlook, 1988; originally published by John Murray, 1958).
Alexander the Great: Man of Action, Man of Spirit (Discoveries series, Harry Abrams).
Alexander the Great: Son of the Gods, by Alan Fildes and Joann Fletcher (Duncan Baird/J. Paul Getty Museum, 2002).
Alexander the Great: The Hunt for a New Past, by Paul Cartledge (Overlook, 2004; Vintage, 2005).
In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great: A Journey from Greece to Asia, by Michael Wood (University of California, 2001).
I Wish I’d Been There, Book 2: European History, edited by Byron Hollinshead and Theodore K. Rabb (Doubleday, 2008), a neat, unusual book in which “twenty superb historians invoke dramatic turning points in the history of Europe and the West.” One chapter, “At the Deathbed of Alexander the Great,” takes readers back to “the last days of the greatest conqueror in history.” The author, Josiah Ober, also recommends Paul Cartledge’s book, as well as Conquest and Empire: The Reign of Alexander the Great, by A. B. Bosworth (Cambridge, 1998), and Alexander of Macedon, 356-323 B.C.: A Historical Biography, by Peter Green (University of California, 1991).
The Nature of Alexander, by Mary Renault (Pantheon, 1975).
Readers wishing to retrace Alexander’s steps in Anatolia themselves will want to know about a fantastic tour, In the Footsteps of Alexander, offered by a wonderful UK-based company, Peter Sommer Travels (+44 1 600 888 220 / petersommer.com). In 1994, Peter walked two thousand miles across Turkey retracing Alexander’s route. He received the Explorers Club of America Young Expeditioners’ Award for the journey, and he also became a sincere spokesman for Turkey: “The myriad ancient cities I had seen were embedded in my memory, but what remains foremost in my mind is the sincere friendship of the Turkish people, extended constantly to a weary traveler far from home. Every single day I was welcomed into their homes and showered with kindness and hospitality. Though just a brief affair, it was passionate in the extreme, and left me madly in love with the land that is Turkey.”
Allahaısmarladık!
“Good-bye,” or literally, “May God keep you.”
Arasta Bazaar
The word arasta refers to a parade of shops or a covered market associated with a mosque. Istanbul’s Arasta Bazaar (Sipahi Çarşısı) is adjacent to Aya Sofya and the Blue Mosque and is the last standing example of an open bazaar in Istanbul, dating back three hundred years. During the Ottoman Empire, it was known as the Sipahiler (“cavalrymen”) Bazaar because mostly cavalry items were sold there. With more than seventy shops, the Arasta Bazaar is also a terrific place to shop—it may lack the exoticism of the Grand Bazaar, but it’s quieter, less frenetic, and outdoors. My friend and Arasta vendor Ömer Eymen, owner of Eymen Halıcılık, at no. 107, is the official representative of the bazaar. He moved his former shop, next to the Cağaloğlu Hamam, to the Arasta Bazaar because it’s a much better place to do business—both for the vendors and for tourists.
Lest readers think I am shamelessly promoting a rug merchant for no other reason than that he’s my friend, allow me to explain how I met Ömer. When my husband I were first in Istanbul, we met another American couple, Sam and Debbie, who were there on their honeymoon. The four of us decided to go to the Cağaloğlu Hamam, but when we arrived at the entrance, we realized we didn’t have quite enough money. The baths were closing in an hour and a half, not enough time for us to retrieve more money and come back (there were far fewer cash machines then, and only the central branches of big banks had them). We hadn’t noticed that, the entire time we were discussing what to do, a man was standing on a nearby stairwell, and he’d heard every word of our conversation. He introduced himself as Ömer Eymen, proprietor of the rug shop behind him, and said that if we needed