As industrial Bursa booms, the fabulous architecture of the once-famous silk road city is often forgotten. In this special 36-page feature, Cornucopia pays tribute to the city that gave the Ottoman Empire its first capital and gloriously married the courtly arts of Asia to the princely aspirations of Renaissance Europe.
Juergen Frank, photographer of Cornucopia's unforgettable Connoisseur's Guide to Istanbul, has returned to Turkey to record a dazzling portrait of Renaissance Bursa, first capital of the Ottoman Empire
Nightingale in the Garden of Love The poems of Uftade
Bursa can now be reached comfortably from Istanbul in two and a half hours. Like Edirne (featured in Cornucopia 37) it makes a fascinating escape from Istanbul.
'No visitor to Turkey can ever really gain a feel for the wonders of the Ottoman past without a visit to Bursa' Heath W Lowry
Whistlestop Bursa: A day out on the tiles by John Carswell
The full flowering of classic Iznik: after supplanting his elder brother Mustafa in the succession, Selim II honoured his rival with this glorious tomb, built in 1573 using the finest Iznik tiles. Both were sons of Suleyman the Magnificent
Esat Uluumay has worked constantly to preserve and record the traditions of his native Bursa. He has now achieved his ambition to open a museum. Some 400 costumes are exhibited, mounted on figures and fully accessoriesed, so as to illustrate weaving, embroidery, knitting and lace-making techniques, as well as the jeweller's craft
The Esat Uluumay Museum, is in the Sair Ahmetpasa Medrese, across the square from the Muradiye Camii
Related books: Women's Costume of the Near and Middle East, by Jennifer Scarce
Arabians and Thoroughbreds by Donna Landry and Caroline Finkel
Turkey, more than anywhere else in the world today, the close kinship between Arabians and English horses is revealed on a daily basis. Between 1650 and 1750 more than 200 Turks, Arabians and Barbs (Barbary horses) were imported through the Levant trade, specifically to improve the breeding of English (and Irish) horses destined for racing. At the heart of the so-called English Thoroughbred lies a gene pool in which prvieously separate Oriental breeds were intensively mixed as well as fed on the grasses and cereals of the Agricultural Revolution.' Donna Landry
The magnificent Arab stallion Sergen with his manager Rafi Colakoglu. Sergen, who died in 2007 was descended from Baba Kurus.
Donna Landry, Caroline Finkel, Gerald MacLean, Andrew Byfield and Mahir Basdogan, took part in the Great Anatolian Ride in the hoofprints of Evliya Çelebi for the purposes of historical, archaeological, botanical and cultural research.
Cornucopia 35 On horseback through Cappadocia, by Susan Wirth, photographs by Juergen Frank
As Bursa lay in ruins after the earthquake of 1855, the man the Sultan sent to rescue the city was Ahmed Vefik Pasha. A brilliant man of letters, champion of Ottoman causes and very undiplomatic diplomat, he was to leave an indelible mark on Turkish culture
'Ahmed Vefik Pasha would roar with laughter at 'The Pickwick Papers', which, like many a nineteenth-century Englishman, he came to know largely by heart.'
'He is seen as a key figure in the emergence of modern Turkish culture... If he needs a monument other than his library, it is surely the early Ottoman monuments of Bursa'
Ahmed Vefik Pasha in 1860, when he was Ottoman ambassador to Paris, poses with two embassy secretaries and their sons
Cornucopia 35 The Hatt-i Humayun and the Congress of Paris in 1856 are described in David Barchard's article Setting the World to Rights (Cornucopia 35). See also his profile of the all-important Aali Pasha in Cornucopia 31
Also reviewed by David Barchard in Cornucopia 38: Cambridge History of Turkey. Volume 3: The Later Ottoman Empire, 1603 1839. Ed. Suraiya N Faroqhi And Sina Aksin's remarkable history Turkey: From Empire to Revolutionary Republic
What is a Turk? Review by Christian Tyler
The Turkic Speaking Peoples: 2,000 years of Art and Culture from Inner Asia to the Balkans, edited by Ergun Cagatay and Dogan Kuban, with photographs by Ergun Cagatay
Christian Tyler reviews the book and asks the question.
Yakut nomads watch over their herds in northern Siberia
Magic of Clay and Fire: A History of Kutahya Pottery and Potters By Garo Kurkman
'The colourful decoration of Kutahya tiles and ceramic objects, so unlike the ornamental beauty of Iznik design, is truly enhanced by the layout of this handsome volume'
Berrin Torolsan in the second of her two-part guide to Turkish baking treats. For Part One, Kurabiye, see Cornucopia 36
Plaits and rings, coils and crescents, freshly baked corek are the treats of high days and holy days, Berrin Torolsan recaptures their heavenly aroma.
For a complete list of Berrin Torolsan's cookery stories in Cornucopia, see our cookery index. Selected recipes are also available online: menus.
Recipes:
Ay Corek (Walnut Crescents)
Kandil Coregi (Kandil Rings)
Paskalya Coregi (Easter Loaf)
Tahinli Corek (Sesame Coils)
Acma (Knotted Bread Rings)
Hashasli Corek (Poppy-seed Rings)
Catal Corek (Forked Pastry)
Cappadocia: Rocks and Roses By Min Hogg
Min Hogg, founding editor of The World of Interiors, and still its editor-at-large, continues her occasional series of delightfully idiosyncratic travel diaries.
Having marvelled at Ankara, Min Hogg sets off for the familiar lunar landscape of Cappadocia. There, she is beguiled by small frescoed churches, the perfect cave dwelling and tempting teas on dappled terraces.
A view of the tufa rocks of Pigeon Valley, near Uçhisar, seen through a pergola covered in vines and double roses. Photograph by Min Hogg:
Cornucopia 36: Patricia Daunt on the drive from Ankara to Antalya
Into the Lion's Den
Raki, the noble anis spirit known as lion's milk, is in vogue again. Kevin Gould and his Cornucopia team sip their way contentedly through a cluster of new brands.
Kevin Gould's passion for food and the people and philosophies that make it so good are reflected in his books, Dishy and Loving and Cooking with Reckless Abandon, For almost a decade he has been Cornucopia's wine expert, exploring vineyards and wineries from Gallipoli to Cappadocia, Georgia to Lebanon.
Here he steps into the heady maze of raki...
Portrait by Fritz von der Schulenburg
The good.... BurgazYas Uzum 'Fresh grapes. Rounder fresher, smoother than the Efe Green, as might be expected of a Trakya raki. The Burgaz people tell us that their water comes from the Istranca Mountains, donating an extra softness to their rakis. Seems like a good reason to sip some more.' Fasil 'Wow! Voluptuous and vanilla-scented, Fazil tastes sweetly feminine all by itself. Perfect for raki on the rocks.' Organik Efe 'A star is born. Is it that organic raki is richer, deeper or more fragrant, or organic raisins juicier than their conventionally grown cousins? Is there another bottle of this for us to sip long into the night? An efe is one who performs the Zeybek folk dance of the Aegean: this Efe has a large confident nose followed by excellent perky, complex flavours that pirouette their way across the palate. An honourable addition to the pantheon of great rakis.' And the not so good... Fazil Blue 'Has the distinction of delivering a hangover while you're still drinking it. More hair than dog - grubby meyhane raki' Yeni Raki 'You could say it's cohesive. But you could also call it one-dimensional.'
Philip Mansel reviews Souvenirs of Istanbul, Nurhan Atasoy's book of photographs from the Yildiz Palace albums.
Robert Ousterhout reviews Santa, a Life by Jeremy Seal
David Barchard reviews The Cambridge History of Turkey, Volume 3, The Later Ottman Empire, 1603-1839 Ed. Suraiya N Faroqhi and Turkey from Empire to Revolutionary Republic: The Emergence of the Turkish Nation from 1789 to the Present by Sina Aksin
Talking Shop at Harvey Nicks By Andrew Finkel 'When the lobster tagliatelle arrives for the main course it, too, has a dramatic, extra-terrestial air. The strands emerge Medusa-like from the lobster shell, copper-coloured, almost wiggling, but creamy and with an intense flavour. I am wearing my third-trendiest tie (Liberty's duty-free store, Heathrow, c.1996, but who am I trying to kid? I steer the conversation away from fashion...'
