Ottoman Odyssey

An exploration of the contemporary influence of the Ottoman Empire on the wider world, as the author uncovers the new Ottoman legacy across Europe and the Middle East. Alev Scotts odyssey began when she looked beyond Turkeys borders for contemporary traces of the Ottoman Empire. Their 800 years of rule ended a century agoand yet, travelling through twelve countries from Kosovo to Greece to Palestine, she uncovers a legacy thats vital and relevant; where medieval ethnic diversity meets twenty-first century nationalismand displaced people seek new identities. It's a story of surprises. An acolyte of Erdogan in Christian-majority Serbia confirms the wide-reaching appeal of his authoritarian leadership. A Druze warlord explains the secretive religious faction in the heart of the Middle East. The palimpsest-like streets of Jerusalem's Old Town hint at the Ottoman co-existence of Muslims and Jews. And in Turkish Cyprus, Alev Scott rediscovers a childhood home. In every community, history is present as a dynamic force. Faced by questions of exile, diaspora and collective memory, Alev Scott searches for answers from the cafes of Beirut to the refugee camps of Lesbos. She uncovers in Erdogan's nouveau-Ottoman Turkey a version of the nostalgic utopias sold to disillusioned voters in Europe and America. And yetas she relates with compassion, insight, and humordiversity is the enduring, endangered heart of this fascinating region.