Much of this book is set in Sulukule or Ayvansaray, or in old Balat and Fener (Phanar in the text). Fener and Balat never seem to change. They are areas of narrow, vertiginous streets where children play outside and women beat carpets in the street. The houses are old and often built of timber, and the whole feel of the place is that you have stepped a few centuries into the past. Two other book locations are now entirely gone, and only imagination and rare old paintings can help us picture them. The great Ottoman naval complex is still occupied by shipyards. Galata’s Golden Horn shore is one long shipyard. But of course these are modern shipyards, and nothing of the old Tersâne-i mire is visible. Other than that, Istanbul’s other main locations in the book are the Eski Saray (old palace) which is long gone and the site is now occupied by the university, and also the hippodrome. The general form of the hippodrome still exists as a park with three of the ancient columns in it. The curved colonnade was gone a century after this book’s era, but the arc of substructures in which I had Korkut sitting still exist and are easily visible from the exterior.
One last location before I finish: The ruined church on Crete, where Diego was lurking. This is the Byzantine church of Agios Titios at the ancient site of Gortyn near Agioi Deka in the south of the island. Gortyn was once a capital city, though it has been ruined for over a thousand years. It is, if you happen to get to Crete, an astounding place to visit.
A last word, then. This series began as a standalone novel. The Thief’s Tale was planned that way. But before I finished it, it became clear that Skiouros’ tale could not end until Cem Sultan died. And that could not easily come about until years had passed. So the book became a trilogy. And then, again, as I sat writing The Assassin’s Tale, it became clear that there was no way I could tie up all the loose ends in that volume. And so The Paşa’s Tale became the planned fourth book in the trilogy (nods thanks to Douglas Adams for setting that precedent.) Lykaion had to return home, the role of the Romani had to be explained, and most of all, Skiouros had to complete his journey (geographically, emotionally and spiritually.) And so he is now home and at peace. And here the series ends. I shall be sad to say goodbye to the series, but I have enjoyed every chapter. I hope you have too. And who knows what might happen in the future. I might miss it too much and want to expand. The Spaniard’s Tale? The Sailor’s Tale? Who knows. But for now, farewell Skiouros.
And thank you for reading. I hope the tale satisfied.
Simon Turney, March 2015
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Bibliography (for those who can’t get enough Istanbul and Ottoman/Byzantine life)
Books…
Osprey publishing – Warrior 41: Knights Hospitaller (2)
Osprey publishing – New Vanguard 62: Renaissance War Galley
Osprey publishing – Elite 58: The Janissaries
Gypsies in the Ottoman Empire – Marushiakova & Popov
Constantinople: Istanbul’s Historical Heritage – Stephane Yerasimos
Istanbul: The Imperial City – John Freely
Jem Sultan – John Freely
Constantinople: City of the World’s Desite – Phillip Mansel
The Antiquities of Constantinople – Pierre Gilles
Walking Through Byzantium: Great Palace Region – Byzantium 1200
The Land Walls of Istanbul - Nezih Başgelen
The Story of the Barbary Corsairs – Stanley Lane-Poole
Academic treatises…
The Coverings of an Empire: An examination of Ottoman headgear – Connor Richardson
The rise of Ottoman Seapower – Jakob Grygiel
Medical treatment in the Ottoman navy – Miri Shefer Mossensohn
Kemal Reis: A big seaman and a hero for Al-Andalus – Prof. Dr. F.Sefa Dereköy
Websites of interest…
www.theottomans.org
www.kultur.gov.tr
www.turkishculture.org
www.byzantium.ac.uk
www.byzantium1200.com
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