Authors: Barbara Nadel
Akbil
–
İ
stanbul
city travel pass
Arabesk
– popular Turkish music heavily influenced by Arab forms
Bayram
– religious festival. Refers in this context to Kurban Bayram, otherwise known as the Feast of the Sacrifice
Bey
– ‘Mr’ as in ‘Çetin Bey’. This is an Ottoman form used before Turks adopted surnames in 1923 – used only with the first name
Efendi
– an Ottoman title equivalent to prince or noble
Hamam
– Turkish bath
Hanım
– ‘Mrs’ or ‘Miss’, female version of ‘Bey’
Hanımefendi
– female equivalent of ‘Efendi’
Klezmer
– Askenazi Jewish dance band
Lycée
– high school
Samovar
– metal water heater, usually for tea
It would
not have been possible for me to write this book without the wonderful assistance provided to me by the staff and management of the fabulous Pera Palas Hotel,
İ
stanbul. Nothing was too much trouble and all my questions were answered and my requests acceded to. Thanks go particularly to Pinar Timer, Esin Sungur and Asli Bilgin. Other heroes and heroines who helped me so much with this book are Pat Yale,
Saffet Emre Tonguc, Elsie and Lutfu Alan, Ruth Lockwood, Jeyda Yelkalan, Earl Starkey, Trici Venola, Julia, Alp and everyone who visited me at the Pera Palas. Thanks are also due to my agent, Juliet Burton and to my editor at Headline, Martin Fletcher who was, and remains, so enthusiastic about this series.