Narrative Of Travels In Europe Asia And Africa In The Seventeenth Century

This is a translation of a travel narrative by Evilya Celebi, an Ottoman aristocrat who traveled extensively in Europe, Asia, and Africa during the seventeenth century. Celebi was highly educated and served the Ottoman court both as a diplomat and as a soldier, which allowed him to see many different countries and learn 147 different languages. His lifetime encompassed the highest point of Ottoman expansion into Europe, and his account of his travels is a fascinating assemblage of topics ranging from the fountains of Istanbul to a journey to Georgia. Volume 2 of this translation includes Celebi's eye-witness account of the siege and conquest of Canea (Khania) in Crete in 1645.

This two-volume English translation of part of a longer travel narrative by the Ottoman aristocrat Evilya Celebi (1611-c.1680) was translated by the Austrian scholar Joseph von Hammer (1774-1856) and published in 1834 by the Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland, set up to make 'Eastern' texts more widely available in English. Celebi was highly educated, had served the Ottoman court both as a diplomat and as a soldier, and as he says, had in his travels 'seen the countries of eighteen monarchs and heard 147 different languages'. His lifetime encompassed the highest point of Ottoman expansion into Europe, and his indefatigable curiosity about everything he saw makes this work a fascinating assemblage of topics varying from the fountains of Istanbul to a journey to Georgia. Volume 2 includes Celebi's eye-witness account of the siege and conquest of Canea (Khania) in Crete in 1645.