Caroline from Kuzguncuk

What made you come to Turkey?
I came to Turkey the first time by chance as a hitchhiker when at university. I fell in love with the place, and after visiting many times thereafter, decided to go back to university to do a doctorate in Ottoman history. That meant living here for a couple of years for research purposes. In 1989 my husband was offered the editorship of a newspaper, and we decided that moving to Istanbul where my husband had lived for a year as a child would be a great opportunity for us both.

What do you do in your daily life?
I've recently spent most of my time in libraries and archives researching for my book, "Osman's Dream - The Story of the Ottoman Empire, 1300-1923". Otherwise, I like roaming the city to see historical monuments and neighbourhoods or exploring the countryside around it. I'm also keen on trekking in the mountains of Turkey.

What made you decide to write a book on Ottoman history?
I felt that the other books available for a general readership were either coloured by nineteenth century views of the Ottomans as the 'Sick Man of Europe'--as though this label could describe the whole of Ottoman history--or else, since the authors were not specialists in Ottoman history, that they approached the subject from too western a perspective. Surprisingly, perhaps, "Osman's Dream..." is the first single volume history of the empire for a general readership actually written by an Ottoman historian!

Family?
I have a journalist husband and a teenage daughter.

Can you compare your first days here with today?
The city was of course less crowded, less built up, less ugly in many ways. You could not buy coffee or diapers.

Has living in Turkey influenced your approach to life?
Definitely. It has made me less tolerant of the insularity of life in Britain, and impatient with the absolute certainty with which most Europeans and Americans pronounce on other places without getting to know them first.

Turkish language?
All the family speaks Turkish fluently. I also know Ottoman Turkish.

Let's talk about the region you are living in?
I know Istanbul well and cannot imagine living anywhere else than where we are, in Kuzguncuk, on the Bosphorus, between Uskudar and the Bosphorus bridge. It is quiet and green and full of old houses; even the newer blocks are all low-rise. It is also highly convenient, with good boat routes to Besiktas and Eminonu, and easy car access to the Bosphorus bridge. We have so many wonderful neighbours, and have been welcomed here like family.

Have you traveled in Turkey? Tell us your discoveries
I have travelled pretty much everywhere in Turkey over the years and never get tired of doing so as there is something to grab your attention at every turn.

Turkish Cuisine?
I leave the cooking to other people and concentrate on eating.

Any suggestion to new comers to Turkey?
Learn the language and take advantage of all the wonders at your fingertips

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