CUPRINS

1. Lista reproducerilor color - pag. 9
2. Credite pentru reproducerile color si alb-negru - pag. 10
3. Harti - pag. 11
4. Prefata - pag. 15
5. Nota despre ortografia si pronuntia limbii turce - pag. 16

PARTEA I - BIZANT - pag. 17

6. Stramtoarea si orasul, pana la aprox. 658 i. Hr. - Pag. 19
7. Orasul-grec Bizant, aprox. 658 i.Hr - 196 d.Hr. - pag. 26
8. Bizantul roman, 196 - 330 - pag. 35

PARTEA A II-A - CONSTANTINOPOL - pag. 43

9. Orasul lui Constantin, 330-337 - pag. 45
10. Orasul imperial, 337-395 - pag. 53
11. Zidurile Teodosiene, 395-450 - pag. 61
12. Orasul roman tarziu, 450-527 - pag. 70
13. Epoca lui Iustinian, 527-565 - pag. 78
14. Lupta pentru supravietuire, 565-717 - pag. 87
15. Criza iconoclasta, 717-845 - pag. 96
16. NAscut in purpura, 845-1056 - pag. 106
17. Dinastia Comnenilor, 1056-1186 - pag. 117
18. Cucerirea latina, 1185-1261 - pag. 128
19. Renastere si razboi civil, 1261-1354 - pag. 136
20. Cederea bizantului, 1354-1453 - pag. 144

PARTEA A-III-A - ISTANBUL - pag. 157

21. Istanbul, capitala Imperiului otoman, 1453-1520 - pag. 159
22. Epoca lui Soliman Magnificul, 1520-1566 - pag. 169
23. Casa Fericirii, 1566-1623 - pag. 178
24. Procesiunea breslelor, 1623-1638 - pag. 189
25. Declin si decandenta poleita, 1638-1730 - pag. 201
26. Vremea ienicerilor, 1730-1826 - pag. 214
27. Epoca Reformei, 1826-1876 - pag. 224
28. Caderea Imperiului otoman, 1876-1923 - pag. 236
29. Istanbulul sub Republica Turca, 1923-1995 - pag. 250

PARTEA A IV-A - NOTE DESPRE MONUMENTE SI MUZEE - pag. 263

30. Glosar - pag. 3223
31. Imparati si sultani - pag. 326
32. Bibliografie - pag. 330 ( )

This isn't the first book you should read about Istanbul. Yes, it gives you an amazing one-volume overview of the city's history from the 7th century BC to the 20th century AD—Istanbul's history is arguably richer than Rome's, and what else but amazing could such a history be?—but Freely's determination not to leave a single emperor or sultan unmentioned gives the book an unfortunate resemblance to the Bible's books of Kings, with their endless variations on "In the twenty-third year of King Joash son of Ahaziah of Judah, Jehoahaz son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria; he reigned seventeen years..." Yes, there are memorable anecdotes and astounding facts, but the fact remains that we've got 300 pages of rulers given a page or two each, leaving little room for substantial discussion of anything else. The value of this book is its compact comprehensiveness, not its readability.

If, like me, you are fascinated by old monuments and wonder about the circumstances of their creation, the eighty-page appendix listing the major buildings and wonders surviving in modern Istanbul is the most notable part of the book, and the part that I will return to before returning to Istanbul. ( )

Great history of the city of Byzanz / Constantinople / Istanbul, and while learning a lot about the history of the city itself, it is also a great run through the history of the Byzantine and the Ottoman Empire. Engaging read, especially in the parts about all the intrigues in the Sultanat... x killed y, then z became sultan... unfortunately, it is almost impossible to keep track of the many names, but it is still a great overview.
Very nice is also the explanations about the sights in the city that still can be visited today. It is definitely no guidebook to the city, but after having read it onceI certainly knows much more about what Can be seen and visited in Istanbul. ( )

http://shawjonathan.wordpress.com/2012/06/20/john-freelys-istanbul/

This is a bit of a hybrid – a biography of the city from 658 BCE to 1995, and a guide to the monuments and relics of that long history. It doesn’t aim to make sense of the history so much as to help reader–travellers understand what they are seeing. ( )