Evliya Çelebi
The Book of Travels
Turkish
Near East and Asia
Mehmed Zilli, known as Evliya Çelebi, was a Muslim explorer who travelled the Ottoman Empire over the course of forty years and wrote about his experiences in the Seyahatname, or Book of Travels. Çelebi was born in 1611 into a wealthy family in Constantinople. His father was a jeweler for the Ottoman court, and his mother was connected to the royal family. Çelebi received an extensive education, but he was reluctant to settle into any profession that would limit his ability to travel.
The Book of Travels (English translation 1834)
The Seyahatname, or Book of Travels, which encompasses ten volumes, provides accounts of journeys from Çelebi’s home in Constantinople to sites as far away as Greece, Syria, Austria, Russia, and Cairo, where he lived for many years. Çelebi was endlessly curious about other cultures, as his accounts in The Book of Travels demonstrate. Çelebi mixes factual accounts of the places he visits with imaginative storytelling that enhanced the reader’s sense of excitement in the adventure of travel. His accounts are important because they offer a rare glimpse into life in the 17th-century Ottoman Empire.
Consider while reading:
- How does the narrator describe his reasons for setting out on his travels? What is his attitude toward the places he intends to visit?
- What kinds of details does he tend to observe and include in his accounts?
- Which parts of his accounts seem too fantastical to be real, and what do these tales add to the reader’s experience?
Written by Anita Turlington