Excerpts
from Damascus: Hidden Treasures of the Old City
Commentary by John Carswell
Photographs: Tim Beddow
Cornucopia begins a series on the riches
of the Ottoman Empire with a grand tour of Damascus. The perfect starting point is Brigid Keenan's new book on the old city, with photographs by Tim Beddow, extracted in this article. Like lsabel
Burton, another diplomat's wife 120 years earlier, Keenan fell head over heels with Damascus, and in the 1990s spearheaded a movement to restore the city's beautiful old houses, with their cool
courtyards and glowing interiors.
Photographs by Jean
Marie del Moral and Berrin Torolsan
It was only to stop a property
dealer painting the selamlik blue that the Germen family acquired a Bosphorus yali to look after. This pavilion, on a glorious stretch of the Anatolian shore, enjoys southerly views all the way to
the Topkapi and sunsets to die for. Patricia Daunt meets the latest owners of this former royal retreat.
CORNUCOPIA 21: OTTOMAN MEDICINAL
ART
FOREVER AMBERGRIS
By Turhan Baytop
Photographs by Simon Upton
Turhan Baytop reveals his rare collection of ambergris tablets, surely the most decorative
of remedies.
CORNUCOPIA 21: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND TURKEY'S FLORA
GREENBELT OR BACKYARD
By Andrew Finkel
Aerial photography by\ Ali Ihsan Gökçen,
botanical photography by Andrew Byfield
These are the last great heath lands of Eastern
Europe, one of the world's rarest natural habitats. Unless they receive a last-minute reprieve, they will be bulldozed out of existence. Andrew Finkel reports on the dilemma facing the planners in
Istanbul
CORNUCOPIA 21: DANCE
DANCERS OF THE STEPPES
By El'vis Beytullayev
Photographs by Sasha Güsov and John Garret
Theirs is one of the great ballet partnerships. Altynai Asylmuratova and Irek Mukhamedov, both descended from Turkic tribes, have taken the
world of ballet by storm. El'vis Betullayev explores the roots of their success in Russia.
CORNUCOPIA 21: COOKERY
GREEN & GREEN
SPINACH AND PURSLANE
By Berrin Torolsan
The sweetmeat of kings, the fuel of warriors,
spinach is bursting with colour, vitality and flavour. The brighter, tangier purslane is a delight still waiting to conquer the West. Berrin Torolsan eats greens with
relish.
Issues increase in price as stocks decline. Order this issue now.
