OUT NOW!!

The Gilded Cage on the Bosphorus

I can’t quite believe that today has finally arrived! After a long and sometimes emotional journey, ‘The Gilded Cage on the Bosphorus’ is at last available to download as an ebook on Amazon!! For those of you who are interested in reading the book, please click on the link above or at the end.

Today is the 144th anniversary of Sultan Murad V’s accession to the throne. So by publishing my book today, I hope to honour the memory of my great-great-great-grandfather.

The ‘Book Dedication’ and ‘Preface’ are shared below:

In memory of all who once lived as prisoners in the Çırağan Palace, especially His Imperial Majesty Sultan Murad V. You will never be forgotten ghosts and shadows – instead your memory lives on in the hearts and souls of your descendants…

The Preface

Many books have been written about the twilight years of the Ottoman Empire, but few tell the intimate story of the members of the Imperial family. Prompted by a desire to keep their memory alive and to light a spark of interest in the hearts of my five children – a spark which I hope will one day develop into a flame of pride in their ancestry – I began to write this account of Sultan Murad V and his descendants, who for many long years were held captive in the Çırağan Palace by the shores of the Bosphorus. 

I wrote the first word of this book on 13th October 2016, the 113th anniversary of my grandfather’s birth. It was as though he took me by the hand, led me to my desk and opened my laptop for me – before whispering into my ear the words I was to type. During the months I spent working on this narrative, I could sense the constant presence of my beloved Dede as he helped me explore the realities of his life and times so that these could be recorded for his great-grandchildren. 

The result is neither an historical novel, nor an academic study – it seems to me to sit somewhere in between! I am fully aware that I have only lightly sketched the characters, as I felt disloyal even considering embellishing or misrepresenting their true natures; and I certainly do not claim to be a History professor. In addition I make it quite clear where my sympathies lie, and make no apologies for this: I would ask the reader to remember that I am writing about my own family, and essentially for my own family, so I trust that a little bias will be thought permissible! 

My thanks

There are three people I would like to thank for giving me their love and support while I was writing this book. My father was extremely generous with both his time and his advice, never tiring when I turned to him with a question; his help and his knowledge were invaluable. I am also grateful to my mother, who kindly undertook the laborious task of proofreading the initial draft, and to my husband for the enthusiasm he expressed for this project; without his encouragement, I would certainly never have begun it! 

In addition, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Ekrem Ekinci, my learned and endlessly knowledgeable hodja; his willingness to share with me his expertise in the matter of my family’s history has allowed me to paint a far more accurate picture of the people and events in this story than I had ever hoped. I am likewise indebted to Hüseyin Birol, my father’s friend and now mine, whose remarkable familiarity with the various palaces and mansions in which members of my family lived – a familiarity that extends even to the details of their exteriors and interiors – has enabled me to describe them with a faithfulness that I would never have thought possible. My beautiful cousin Leïla Samy Beggin proofread the penultimate draft, and her helpful advice and suggestions are much appreciated. As a teenager, I always looked up to her, and that admiration has not diminished: she continues to inspire me. Lastly, of course, my thanks must go to John Shakespeare Dyson, my diligent, meticulous and extremely thorough editor; not only did his patient attention to detail and his ability to use the English language in an impeccable manner enhance my writing, but he also pushed me to look more deeply into the hearts and minds of my characters, encouraging me to be more imaginative in my treatment of their psychology. 

My greatest debt of gratitude, however, will always be to my grandparents, who shared with me the stories of their unique lives and their memories of a bygone age; it was they who taught me to have pride in being an Ottoman, to love Turkey – my homeland – and to believe in Islam. I love and miss them both. 

It is my hope that readers will enjoy this journey back in time to the splendour of Imperial İstanbul, that lost world ruled over by the House of Osman. I hope, too, that during the hours they spend in their company they will feel able to open their hearts a little to the family of Sultan Murad V.