This book is a fascinating account of the author's journey to Istanbul in the mid-19th century. Julia Pardoe was a British writer who traveled the world and produced many influential books on history and culture. In this book, she provides a vivid description of Istanbul and its people, as well as their customs and way of life. She also offers a critical assessment of the women's status in Turkish society and the social issues of her time. This is an interesting and informative read for anyone interested in the history and culture of the Ottoman Empire. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Julia Pardoe (December 4, 1806 - November 26, 1862), was an English poet, novelist, historian and traveller. She was born at Beverley, Yorkshire, and showed an early interest in literature. She became a prolific and versatile writer, producing in addition to her lively and well-written novels many books on travel, and others dealing with historical subjects. She was a keen observer, and her travel to the East gave her an accurate and deep knowledge of the peoples and manners of the East. To modern readers she is probably best known for her books on her travels in Turkey, which are some of the earliest works by a woman on this area. In 1836 she travelled to Constantinople with her father, Major Thomas Pardoe. This voyage inspired her book The City of the Sultan (1836). Later she collaborated with the artist William Henry Bartlett to produce The Beauties of the Bosphorus (1839), an illustrated account of Constantinople.