"John Freely is an expert on his subject ... and takes care to keep us by his side through the maze of power-plays, executions, circumcision festivals, impalements, births and poisonings" (Independent on Sunday) INSIDE THE SERAGLIO tells the extraordinary story of the Osmanli dynasty who ruled the Ottoman Empire for over 600 years. The book follows each sultan in turn, describing intimate family life inside the great palace of the Topkapi Sarayi, including the eunuchs, mutes and buffoons whoserved, amused, and often angered them and led directly to their deaths. Full of vivid detail and anecdote, this lively book brings to life the fading memory of the inhabitants of the fabled palaces, evoking the colourful times in which they lived.
