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Halep
"Doğu medeniyetleri konusunda en önemli otoritelerden biri olan Philip Mansel, bölgenin en kadim, en büyük ve en kozmopolit şehirlerinden biri için özlü ve zarif bir ağıt kaleme almış. Trajikliği ve zamanlamasıyla, bu kitap bize neden Halep'in yasını tutmamız gerektiğini muhteşem bir şekilde gösteriyor." William Dalrymple
Savaştan sonra Halep bir harabeye dönüştü. Sokakları karanlığa gömüldü ve nüfusunun büyük bir bölümü şehri terk etti.
Ama burası bir zamanlar Müslümanların, Hıristiyanların ve Yahudilerin barış içinde bir arada yaşayıp ticaret yaptıkları, canlı bir dünya şehriydi. Asur, Pers, Yunan, Roma, Arap, Osmanlı imparatorluklarına ve Fransızlara ev sahipliği yapmış olan Halep kadar kadim ve renkli çok az şehir vardır. Osmanlı yönetimindeyken, İstanbul ve Mısır'dan sonra Halep imparatorluğun en büyük üçüncü şehri olmuştu. Zenginliğini İpek Yolu üzerindeki, dünya ticaret yollarının kavşağındaki konumuna, Ortadoğu’nun Venedik, İsfahan ve Agra'dan gelen tüccarları buluşturan en büyük çarşısı olmasına borçluydu. Bölgede özellikle yemekleri ve müziğiyle nam salmıştı. 400 yıl boyunca yolu Halep'ten geçmiş konsolos, tüccar ve seyyahların tanıklıklarından faydalanan Philip Mansel, Halep’in kültürel ve ekonomik zenginliğin zirvesinden çöküşüne kadar uzanan dokunaklı yolculuğunu anlatırken, iç savaşın parçaladığı şehre saygı duruşunda bulunuyor.
"Günümüzün en iyi Doğu tarihçilerinden biri, Ortadoğu’nun en önemli şehirlerinden birinin son derece ilgi çekici bir portresini çiziyor. Mansel’in Halep'i çağdaş okurlara Suriye'deki iç savaş nedeniyle kaybedilen dünya mirasını hatırlatıyor. Önemli ve sıradışı bir kitap." Eugene Rogan
Savaştan sonra Halep bir harabeye dönüştü. Sokakları karanlığa gömüldü ve nüfusunun büyük bir bölümü şehri terk etti.
Ama burası bir zamanlar Müslümanların, Hıristiyanların ve Yahudilerin barış içinde bir arada yaşayıp ticaret yaptıkları, canlı bir dünya şehriydi. Asur, Pers, Yunan, Roma, Arap, Osmanlı imparatorluklarına ve Fransızlara ev sahipliği yapmış olan Halep kadar kadim ve renkli çok az şehir vardır. Osmanlı yönetimindeyken, İstanbul ve Mısır'dan sonra Halep imparatorluğun en büyük üçüncü şehri olmuştu. Zenginliğini İpek Yolu üzerindeki, dünya ticaret yollarının kavşağındaki konumuna, Ortadoğu’nun Venedik, İsfahan ve Agra'dan gelen tüccarları buluşturan en büyük çarşısı olmasına borçluydu. Bölgede özellikle yemekleri ve müziğiyle nam salmıştı. 400 yıl boyunca yolu Halep'ten geçmiş konsolos, tüccar ve seyyahların tanıklıklarından faydalanan Philip Mansel, Halep’in kültürel ve ekonomik zenginliğin zirvesinden çöküşüne kadar uzanan dokunaklı yolculuğunu anlatırken, iç savaşın parçaladığı şehre saygı duruşunda bulunuyor.
"Günümüzün en iyi Doğu tarihçilerinden biri, Ortadoğu’nun en önemli şehirlerinden birinin son derece ilgi çekici bir portresini çiziyor. Mansel’in Halep'i çağdaş okurlara Suriye'deki iç savaş nedeniyle kaybedilen dünya mirasını hatırlatıyor. Önemli ve sıradışı bir kitap." Eugene Rogan
352 pages, Paperback
First published February 28, 2016
23 people are currently reading
422 people want to read
About the author
Philip Mansel
26 books67 followersPhilip Mansel is a historian of courts and cities, and of France and the Ottoman Empire. He was born in London in 1951 and educated at Eton College, where he was a King’s Scholar, and at Balliol College, Oxford, where he read Modern History and Modern Languages. Following four years’ research into the French court of the period 1814-1830, he was awarded his doctorate at University College, London in 1978.
His first book, Louis XVIII, was published in 1981 and this - together with subsequent works such as The Court of France 1789-1830 (1989), Paris Between Empires 1814-1852 (2001) - established him as an authority on the later French monarchy. Six of his books have been translated into French.
Altogether Philip Mansel has published eleven books of history and biography, mainly relating either to France or the Ottoman Empire and the Middle East: Sultans in Splendour was published in 1988, Constantinople: City of the World’s Desire 1453-1924 in 1995 and Levant: Splendour and Catastrophe on the Mediterranean in 2010.
Over the past 30 years he has contributed reviews and articles to a wide range of newspapers and journals, including History Today, The English Historical Review, The International Herald Tribune, Books and Bookmen, The Daily Telegraph, The Independent and Apollo. Currently he writes reviews for The Spectator, Cornucopia, The Art Newspaper and The Times Literary Supplement.
In 1995 Philip Mansel was a founder with David Starkey, Robert Oresko and Simon Thurley of the Society for Court Studies, designed to promote research in the field of court history, and he is the editor of the Society’s journal. The Society has a branch in Munich and is linked to similar societies in Versailles, Madrid, Ferrara and Turin.
He has travelled widely, lecturing in many countries - including the United States, France, Germany, Italy and Turkey - and has made a number of appearances on radio and television, including in the two-part Channel 4 documentary “Harem” and in two BBC2 documentaries on Versailles in 2012. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, the Royal Society of Literature, the Institute of Historical Research (University of London) and the Royal Asiatic Society, and is a member of the Conseil Scientifique of the Centre de Recherche du Chateau de Versailles. In 2010 Philip Mansel was appointed Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and in 2012 was the recipient of the annual London Library Life in Literature Award.
Philip Mansel wrote the introduction to the 2012 re-issue of Nancy Mitford’s The Sun King and is currently working on his own biography of Louis XIV. His short history of Aleppo: Rise and Fall of a World City is scheduled for publication in April 2016. His book on Napoleon and his court, The Eagle in Splendour, was republished by I. B. Tauris in June 2015.
In 1995 Philip Mansel started a campaign to save Clavell Tower, a ruined folly of 1831 which threatened to fall over the cliff above Kimmeridge Bay. This led, in 2007-8, to the Tower’s deconstruction, relocation, reconstruction, restoration and modernisation by the Landmark Trust. Clavell Tower is now the Trust’s most popular property.
Philip Mansel lives in London, travelling to Paris, Istanbul and elsewhere for research, conferences and lectures. He also runs the family estate at Smedmore, near Wareham in Dorset. For more information on this historic house, visit the web site and read the recent articles published in The World of Interiors and Country Life.
His first book, Louis XVIII, was published in 1981 and this - together with subsequent works such as The Court of France 1789-1830 (1989), Paris Between Empires 1814-1852 (2001) - established him as an authority on the later French monarchy. Six of his books have been translated into French.
Altogether Philip Mansel has published eleven books of history and biography, mainly relating either to France or the Ottoman Empire and the Middle East: Sultans in Splendour was published in 1988, Constantinople: City of the World’s Desire 1453-1924 in 1995 and Levant: Splendour and Catastrophe on the Mediterranean in 2010.
Over the past 30 years he has contributed reviews and articles to a wide range of newspapers and journals, including History Today, The English Historical Review, The International Herald Tribune, Books and Bookmen, The Daily Telegraph, The Independent and Apollo. Currently he writes reviews for The Spectator, Cornucopia, The Art Newspaper and The Times Literary Supplement.
In 1995 Philip Mansel was a founder with David Starkey, Robert Oresko and Simon Thurley of the Society for Court Studies, designed to promote research in the field of court history, and he is the editor of the Society’s journal. The Society has a branch in Munich and is linked to similar societies in Versailles, Madrid, Ferrara and Turin.
He has travelled widely, lecturing in many countries - including the United States, France, Germany, Italy and Turkey - and has made a number of appearances on radio and television, including in the two-part Channel 4 documentary “Harem” and in two BBC2 documentaries on Versailles in 2012. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, the Royal Society of Literature, the Institute of Historical Research (University of London) and the Royal Asiatic Society, and is a member of the Conseil Scientifique of the Centre de Recherche du Chateau de Versailles. In 2010 Philip Mansel was appointed Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and in 2012 was the recipient of the annual London Library Life in Literature Award.
Philip Mansel wrote the introduction to the 2012 re-issue of Nancy Mitford’s The Sun King and is currently working on his own biography of Louis XIV. His short history of Aleppo: Rise and Fall of a World City is scheduled for publication in April 2016. His book on Napoleon and his court, The Eagle in Splendour, was republished by I. B. Tauris in June 2015.
In 1995 Philip Mansel started a campaign to save Clavell Tower, a ruined folly of 1831 which threatened to fall over the cliff above Kimmeridge Bay. This led, in 2007-8, to the Tower’s deconstruction, relocation, reconstruction, restoration and modernisation by the Landmark Trust. Clavell Tower is now the Trust’s most popular property.
Philip Mansel lives in London, travelling to Paris, Istanbul and elsewhere for research, conferences and lectures. He also runs the family estate at Smedmore, near Wareham in Dorset. For more information on this historic house, visit the web site and read the recent articles published in The World of Interiors and Country Life.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
April 10, 2016
‘After Constantinople and Cairo, Aleppo was the third largest city in the Empire.’
I have read that Aleppo was once a vibrant city, one in which Christians, Jews and Muslims lived and traded together in peace. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case. Aleppo is an ancient, diverse city. In Aleppo’s long period as one of the oldest, continuously inhabited cities it has been successively ruled by the Assyrian, Persian, Greek, Roman, Arab, Ottoman and French empires. Because of its location at the end of the Silk Road, Aleppo became the third largest city in the Ottoman Empire. For 400 hundred years, British and French consuls and merchants lived in Aleppo, which was famous throughout the region for its food and music. How recognisable is this Aleppo today?
‘States and religions are killing Aleppo. People and monuments are dying. Satellite imagery shows that there are now almost no lights at night in the city.’
In this book, Dr Philip Mansel describes Aleppo’s decline from power, a city currently shattered by Syria’s ongoing civil war. Many people have been killed and the ancient Old City has been devastated. There are two parts to this book. Part I provides a summary of Aleppo’s history, and Part II provides a view of Aleppo through the eyes of travellers between the sixteenth and twentieth centuries (from the travels of Dr Leonhart Rauwolff in the sixteenth century, to those of both Gertrude Bell and Leonard Woolley in the first two decades of the twentieth century).
In Part I, Dr Mansel focusses on Aleppo’s significance as a junction between the East and the West, its role as a great merchant city. While this is clearly the focus of the book, I’d have also liked to learn more about Aleppo’s pre-Muslim history. In Part II, I enjoyed reading the different accounts of Aleppo at different times over the past four hundred years. There’s a contrast between past and present which is both informative, and sad. What does the future hold for Aleppo? Before the civil war, it was Syria’s largest city. Can it be again? A decade ago, more than two million people lived in Aleppo, now the population is probably closer to 400,000.
I finished this book wanting to know more about Aleppo, and hoping that the city can recover.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and I.B. Tauris for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
I have read that Aleppo was once a vibrant city, one in which Christians, Jews and Muslims lived and traded together in peace. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case. Aleppo is an ancient, diverse city. In Aleppo’s long period as one of the oldest, continuously inhabited cities it has been successively ruled by the Assyrian, Persian, Greek, Roman, Arab, Ottoman and French empires. Because of its location at the end of the Silk Road, Aleppo became the third largest city in the Ottoman Empire. For 400 hundred years, British and French consuls and merchants lived in Aleppo, which was famous throughout the region for its food and music. How recognisable is this Aleppo today?
‘States and religions are killing Aleppo. People and monuments are dying. Satellite imagery shows that there are now almost no lights at night in the city.’
In this book, Dr Philip Mansel describes Aleppo’s decline from power, a city currently shattered by Syria’s ongoing civil war. Many people have been killed and the ancient Old City has been devastated. There are two parts to this book. Part I provides a summary of Aleppo’s history, and Part II provides a view of Aleppo through the eyes of travellers between the sixteenth and twentieth centuries (from the travels of Dr Leonhart Rauwolff in the sixteenth century, to those of both Gertrude Bell and Leonard Woolley in the first two decades of the twentieth century).
In Part I, Dr Mansel focusses on Aleppo’s significance as a junction between the East and the West, its role as a great merchant city. While this is clearly the focus of the book, I’d have also liked to learn more about Aleppo’s pre-Muslim history. In Part II, I enjoyed reading the different accounts of Aleppo at different times over the past four hundred years. There’s a contrast between past and present which is both informative, and sad. What does the future hold for Aleppo? Before the civil war, it was Syria’s largest city. Can it be again? A decade ago, more than two million people lived in Aleppo, now the population is probably closer to 400,000.
I finished this book wanting to know more about Aleppo, and hoping that the city can recover.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and I.B. Tauris for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
February 29, 2016
An interesting read, both for the historian and the journalist. It puts the city of Aleppo on the cultural and trade map of the Middle East, while outlining various crisis and repositionings of the city following political and strategical changes. The second part, dedicated to sharing impressions of travellers about the city is very valuable, as it offers direct accounts and perceptions about the city.
Disclaimer: I was offered the book for review via NetGalley.com
Disclaimer: I was offered the book for review via NetGalley.com
April 7, 2016
Aleppo in the simplest terms is a history of a city. The city was once the place to visit. People from different cultures, countries, traditions, and beliefs made it home. Oddly, these groups were able to inhabit the same city with relative peace in a time when culture clashes led to death.
With times changing and travel routes altering, the city began to see a change, too. The exotic destination became troubled and peace was harder to find.
As a lover of history, the story of Aleppo was fascinating. Before I saw this book, I had never heard of the once booming city. Mansel is able to merge the history of the city with the history of its inhabitants. Photographs and historic quotes bring the city to life.
With times changing and travel routes altering, the city began to see a change, too. The exotic destination became troubled and peace was harder to find.
As a lover of history, the story of Aleppo was fascinating. Before I saw this book, I had never heard of the once booming city. Mansel is able to merge the history of the city with the history of its inhabitants. Photographs and historic quotes bring the city to life.
April 5, 2016
Review originally posted at Book of Bogan
Aleppo is an interesting book that sets out to be a biography of place, rather than of a person. Most modern readers will have heard of the city in Syria which is most commonly featured as part of the war involving ISIS. It is easy from a western perspective to see only the temporal and not to appreciate the entire legacy of what has gone before.
I remember how my Ancient History teacher once described the Middle East as a kind of melting pot, where every few decades, or centuries, another civilization would come along and put up an “under new management” sign in the window. It is interesting to see how a very cosmopolitan city which has existed for centuries has devolved to the place it has become now.
I learned a lot from this book, as much about the harmony which once did, and possibly could exist between different groups of both culturally and religiously diverse people, brought together in the one place by trade.
I hesitate to rate this book at all, given that it is difficult to place within the non-fiction genre. It is a historical perspective that encompasses hundreds of years, but is also a biographical book in many ways. It is at times somewhat dry, but is at its best when it is working through the stories of the inhabitants.
I would like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.
Aleppo is an interesting book that sets out to be a biography of place, rather than of a person. Most modern readers will have heard of the city in Syria which is most commonly featured as part of the war involving ISIS. It is easy from a western perspective to see only the temporal and not to appreciate the entire legacy of what has gone before.
I remember how my Ancient History teacher once described the Middle East as a kind of melting pot, where every few decades, or centuries, another civilization would come along and put up an “under new management” sign in the window. It is interesting to see how a very cosmopolitan city which has existed for centuries has devolved to the place it has become now.
I learned a lot from this book, as much about the harmony which once did, and possibly could exist between different groups of both culturally and religiously diverse people, brought together in the one place by trade.
I hesitate to rate this book at all, given that it is difficult to place within the non-fiction genre. It is a historical perspective that encompasses hundreds of years, but is also a biographical book in many ways. It is at times somewhat dry, but is at its best when it is working through the stories of the inhabitants.
I would like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.
April 21, 2016
What a stunningly lifeless (or insipid, can't decide) work of historical fiction. Mansel has selected a fascinating subject, Aleppo, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. A city that changed hands, rulers and countries numerous times throughout history and yet impressively persevered until The Battle of Aleppo, which from 2012 to now has all but destroyed it. I won't digress about the significance of such a destruction of history, but I should say that Mansel has absolutely not done his subject justice. In fact, he hasn't even written that much about it, his role in this book is practically editorial. He authored the first quarter of it, the expanded foreword, inexplicably concentrating only on the Aleppo's years under the Ottoman Empire, since 1516, barely mentioning the prior centuries, skipping over the entire epoch of antiquity. For a city that was first mentioned in the third millennium BC that just seems like neglect. The rest of the book (not including the prerequisite notes, bibliography, etc.) comprises various accounts of various dignitaries and travelers, who have visited Aleppo over the last few centuries at some point and wrote about it. There is an interesting juxtaposition to observe between the Aleppo Mansel writes about and the one they witnessed. Invariably Eurocentric perspectives for the most part portrayed the city as a backward penurious province, with strange customs, strange lives and strange manners, particularly when it came to directness of questioning and flagrantly rude interest in pecuniary matters. While Mansel's chapters read like a textbook, the rest, with few minor exceptions, comes across stodgy and dense (a prolix description after a circumlocutory one aka long winded), much like you'd expect a letter from 1700s or 1800s. The entire book was a slog to get through, even considering it's relatively slim size. I was interested in reading this after seeing a stunningly poignant New York Times article/pictorial about the destruction of Palmyra, same conflict, though not as thorough of a devastation. That article has managed to convey in however few words/photos what this book didn't in however many words/photos. History is fascinating, learning about it should be a pleasure. This book, although mildly informative, is the sort of book that might put one off the subject. Travelogues are meant to be fun. Reading is meant to be fun. This was, sadly, just wasted time. Thanks Netgalley.
June 7, 2019
This was a great account of the city of Aleppo with the information we were given, starting in the 1500s. I do wish that the text would have encompassed the entirety of Aleppo's history though, which makes this more of a 3.5 for me
See my full review here:
https://allthebookblognamesaretaken.b...
See my full review here:
https://allthebookblognamesaretaken.b...
March 11, 2016
Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from NetGalley.
Aleppo has been in the news much lately, as a focal point in the ongoing Syrian Civil War. As many as tens of thousands have died in the fighting and the ancient Old City has been subjected to catastrophic destruction. The appearance of this book is timely. Aleppo: The Rise and Fall of Syria's Great Merchant City by Philip Mansel is functionally an obituary to the once thriving metropolis. Mansel is a scholar of French and Middle Eastern history, with a recent emphasis on urban history: this is his third book on cosmopolitan cities of the Muslim world.
The book has two parts. The first is a relatively brief summary of Aleppo's history. In ten short chapter, Mansel brings us from the early Muslim era to the present. While Aleppo is an ancient city, with mentions in surviving tablets from 2250 BCE, Mansel argues that Aleppo is most significant as a junction between East and West. It was the Roman conquest of Syria which introduced West, and the Ottoman rise which introduced East. Therefore, to the narrative, Aleppo only gains its significance to the modern world after the Muslim conquests. And most significance is brought from the intersection of Western states and the Ottoman Empire (the most western-like Muslim state at the time).
In the Ottoman Empire, Aleppo was an important site for trade to Europe, and many major European states kept diplomatic posts in the city to oversee their merchants. This then required a special approach to government, one which was attuned to multivarious sensibilities. This complex interplay of culture formed the backdrop to Aleppo's significance which largely continued in significance to the present day, as the rich cultural and intellectual and industrial center has been reduced to ruins. The narrative heaps laurels on the city, as an orator giving a eulogy.
The second part of the book is a collection of accounts from people through history about Aleppo: French, English, German; merchants, adventurers, dreamers; Leonard Raurolf to Gertrude Bell. As the first part reads as a eulogy, so the selection of accounts highlight the grandeur which once existed: a slideshow of important snapshots of the city's life being displayed on the wall behind the orator.
Before the Civil War, Aleppo was Syria's largest city. Whether or not it will be again is open to question. It has, in the words of the writer, entered "dark ages". Aleppo: The Rise and Fall of Syria's Great Merchant City is a capable eulogy. Mansel is a skilled writer--his concision alone is evidence--and it well populated with maps and illustrations. It is worth a read for those seeking context for recent history, and provides primary sources which might otherwise be ignored.
Aleppo has been in the news much lately, as a focal point in the ongoing Syrian Civil War. As many as tens of thousands have died in the fighting and the ancient Old City has been subjected to catastrophic destruction. The appearance of this book is timely. Aleppo: The Rise and Fall of Syria's Great Merchant City by Philip Mansel is functionally an obituary to the once thriving metropolis. Mansel is a scholar of French and Middle Eastern history, with a recent emphasis on urban history: this is his third book on cosmopolitan cities of the Muslim world.
The book has two parts. The first is a relatively brief summary of Aleppo's history. In ten short chapter, Mansel brings us from the early Muslim era to the present. While Aleppo is an ancient city, with mentions in surviving tablets from 2250 BCE, Mansel argues that Aleppo is most significant as a junction between East and West. It was the Roman conquest of Syria which introduced West, and the Ottoman rise which introduced East. Therefore, to the narrative, Aleppo only gains its significance to the modern world after the Muslim conquests. And most significance is brought from the intersection of Western states and the Ottoman Empire (the most western-like Muslim state at the time).
In the Ottoman Empire, Aleppo was an important site for trade to Europe, and many major European states kept diplomatic posts in the city to oversee their merchants. This then required a special approach to government, one which was attuned to multivarious sensibilities. This complex interplay of culture formed the backdrop to Aleppo's significance which largely continued in significance to the present day, as the rich cultural and intellectual and industrial center has been reduced to ruins. The narrative heaps laurels on the city, as an orator giving a eulogy.
The second part of the book is a collection of accounts from people through history about Aleppo: French, English, German; merchants, adventurers, dreamers; Leonard Raurolf to Gertrude Bell. As the first part reads as a eulogy, so the selection of accounts highlight the grandeur which once existed: a slideshow of important snapshots of the city's life being displayed on the wall behind the orator.
Before the Civil War, Aleppo was Syria's largest city. Whether or not it will be again is open to question. It has, in the words of the writer, entered "dark ages". Aleppo: The Rise and Fall of Syria's Great Merchant City is a capable eulogy. Mansel is a skilled writer--his concision alone is evidence--and it well populated with maps and illustrations. It is worth a read for those seeking context for recent history, and provides primary sources which might otherwise be ignored.
August 13, 2017
Summary:
- Mostly social history of Aleppo and surroundings through the eyes of the explorers of old time, and a consolidated chronological history.
Some other notes:
- Interesting to see how two explorers can see/note completely different details in two separate visits in two year's difference. One must read other's notes with caution and keeping the bias in mind.
- Explorers bring a very occidentialist view to Aleppo history, there is only one Turk/Arab/Muslim explorer (Evliya Celebi) who gives count of the city.
- The book made me think that a well-managed ethnic diversity can help a city flourish, whereas a ill-managed ethnic diversity can drive the city to chaos.
- The book also confirmed my understanding of the corruption in the last centuries of Ottoman era.
- I noted that the social customs of Aleppo overlaps with what I heard from my parents about the life in Antakya at the time of their grandparents. Many ceremonies, customs (albeit being a lighter version often) remained in place until 20th century.
- I noted that the late visitors of the city complained the laziness of the culture, people not doing much physically and intellectually.
- I understood the importance of Aleppo as a well-connected merchant city, being the hub of the region especially until the European merchants started using the sea route (via Cape of Good Hope) to Asia. The existence of European consulates and merchants verifies the link to Europe as well.
- An expression I will remember: What would be sold in Cairo in two weeks would be sold in Aleppo in one day.
- It also helped me better understand the minorities' natural tendency to be linked to foreign states.
- Mostly social history of Aleppo and surroundings through the eyes of the explorers of old time, and a consolidated chronological history.
Some other notes:
- Interesting to see how two explorers can see/note completely different details in two separate visits in two year's difference. One must read other's notes with caution and keeping the bias in mind.
- Explorers bring a very occidentialist view to Aleppo history, there is only one Turk/Arab/Muslim explorer (Evliya Celebi) who gives count of the city.
- The book made me think that a well-managed ethnic diversity can help a city flourish, whereas a ill-managed ethnic diversity can drive the city to chaos.
- The book also confirmed my understanding of the corruption in the last centuries of Ottoman era.
- I noted that the social customs of Aleppo overlaps with what I heard from my parents about the life in Antakya at the time of their grandparents. Many ceremonies, customs (albeit being a lighter version often) remained in place until 20th century.
- I noted that the late visitors of the city complained the laziness of the culture, people not doing much physically and intellectually.
- I understood the importance of Aleppo as a well-connected merchant city, being the hub of the region especially until the European merchants started using the sea route (via Cape of Good Hope) to Asia. The existence of European consulates and merchants verifies the link to Europe as well.
- An expression I will remember: What would be sold in Cairo in two weeks would be sold in Aleppo in one day.
- It also helped me better understand the minorities' natural tendency to be linked to foreign states.
November 24, 2016
This book gives a rich kaleidoscope of the city of Aleppo, almost an enclosed world of its own, prior to Syria's independence following the French mandate years. More than half the book is a collection of extracts from writings of contemporary visitors to the region most prominently Gertrude Bell. Aleppo was a trading city in decline, as it were, due to the opening of the Cape and then the Suez routes to the east. Yet it preserved its ancient trade practices and mixed population of Muslims, Christians and Jews, interposed by Western traders, adding an extra layer to this city. It is bit of a letdown that Mansel did not lay out more coherent historical overview and the book gives an impression of jumble of short essays on various aspects of Aleppo's life. That said, just to get an idea that Aleppo wasn't just an 'Arab' or 'Islamic' city in its long history, this is a worthy read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 28, 2017
The first part of Aleppo: The Rise and Fall of Syria’s Great Merchant City covers the little-known but vibrant history of the place. The second part is a rich medley of accounts by British and French consuls and merchants dating from the 17th century.
September 16, 2017
Very interesting and useful read to quickly understand more about the city of Aleppo.
November 14, 2019
Mansel paints many layers of Aleppo that can’t be glimpsed through today’s newspaper reports. Without romanticizing its past, Mansel presents a vivid picture of a rise and fall is a beloved city and its inhabitants.
June 21, 2016
History of the city which was one of my favorite in the Middle East, now pretty much destroyed in three years of civil war.
The first quarter of this book is a history of the city, strangely zeroing on specific eras rather than providing an overall view. But after that it’s all first-person historical accounts. One is an entire chapter on food, while another is a long piece on farming.
The bad part is that the author included entire chapters, where a lot of the writing had nothing to do with Aleppo; a little editing would have been welcome, but then I guess it would have been an even shorter book. Some of the historical accounts hardly mention the city, could have happened anywhere. At least the first section offered context. These records might be understood by a historian, but there’s so much there that’s not because it was written about an age I have not studied.
It occurs to me that this author did a lot more work reading rather than writing or editing. He chose what the reader would see, but like being a DJ doesn’t make one a musician, this doesn’t make one a writer.
The last section, another big chunk, is notes, bibliography, and index.
The first quarter of this book is a history of the city, strangely zeroing on specific eras rather than providing an overall view. But after that it’s all first-person historical accounts. One is an entire chapter on food, while another is a long piece on farming.
The bad part is that the author included entire chapters, where a lot of the writing had nothing to do with Aleppo; a little editing would have been welcome, but then I guess it would have been an even shorter book. Some of the historical accounts hardly mention the city, could have happened anywhere. At least the first section offered context. These records might be understood by a historian, but there’s so much there that’s not because it was written about an age I have not studied.
It occurs to me that this author did a lot more work reading rather than writing or editing. He chose what the reader would see, but like being a DJ doesn’t make one a musician, this doesn’t make one a writer.
The last section, another big chunk, is notes, bibliography, and index.
November 24, 2016
A book written in the vein of the travelogue excerpts Mansel has appended - it is descriptive and superficial, and not engaging or analytical at all. Which is a shame, because Aleppo, as the world's oldest continuously inhabited city, is unparalleled as a site to interrogate historical arcs to human society, morality, ethics, and other philosophical and ontological matters that historians should ponder but Mansel does not.
Overall, a disappointing book that's done in by Mansel's orientalist fixation on the Ottoman period and the exclusion of local or eastern sources.
About those travelogue excerpts, which make up about two thirds of the book - I imagine that Mansel was hoping to show how the city evolved over 4 centuries through the eyes of an outside (objective) viewer, but the truth is, to these superficial observers, the city changes so little over the 4 centuries, it hardly warrants the trade off, to exclude local sources.
Overall, a disappointing book that's done in by Mansel's orientalist fixation on the Ottoman period and the exclusion of local or eastern sources.
About those travelogue excerpts, which make up about two thirds of the book - I imagine that Mansel was hoping to show how the city evolved over 4 centuries through the eyes of an outside (objective) viewer, but the truth is, to these superficial observers, the city changes so little over the 4 centuries, it hardly warrants the trade off, to exclude local sources.
January 30, 2018
Following recommendations, I had high expectations of this book. Unfortunately, it read more like an obituary to this once-thriving ancient metropolis. Lacking any real narrative, for the most part, Mansel has essentially constructed a textbook. There are some more interesting parts in the second section, such as Gertrude Bell's travel writings, however this book doesn't really do the city justice.
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May 18, 2017For centuries they lived in more or less peaceful circumstances, all religions mixed up. Now they're killing each other wholesale and the thousands of years old place of dwelling is a pile of bricks and dust. What a shame. About three quarters of the book consists of old travel stories. They are all very interesting, but after a few of them it gets repetitive.
July 10, 2019
Very interesting
A very interesting overview of the history of a fascinating city. Made even better by the 15 chapters of travellers' reports from different eras.
A very interesting overview of the history of a fascinating city. Made even better by the 15 chapters of travellers' reports from different eras.
January 20, 2022
كتاب عن مدينة حلب بعنوان:
"حلب، صعود وتهاوي المدينة السورية التجارية العظيمة"
استهلَّ الكاتب البريطاني كتابه بترجمة لبيت المتنبي الشعري:
كُلّما رحّبت بنا الروض قلنا | حلب قصدنا وأنتِ السبيل
مشاعري اتجاه هذا الكتاب غريبة نوعاً ما، الكتاب يتناول في قسمه الأوّل تاريخ المدينة خاصة العثماني منها بشكل موسّع، لكن فيما بعد بدا وكأنَّ الكاتب جمع مجموعة من المقالات في مواضيع مختلفة ووضعها في الكتاب.
كان هنالك نقطة جميلة في الكتاب تتحدّث عن التنوّع العرقي في حلب، وحسبما قال الكاتب فإنَّ هذا التنوّع لو تمّت إدارته بشكل جيّد فهو سيكون مساهماً في ازدهار هذه المدينة، بينما لو تمّت إدارته بشكل سيّء فسيكون نقمة عليها.
الكتاب أيضاً يتحدّث عن المطبخ الحلبي وبعض العادات الاجتماعيّة لأهل حلب إضافة للحديث عن أهميّة التجارة وموقع المدينة.
جملة جميلة ذكرها الكاتب: ما يستلزم اسبوعين لبيعه في القاهرة، يُباع في يوم واحد في حلب.
وغيره الكثير من التفاصيل التي قد تكون جميلة من هنا وظالمة من هناك.
بشكل عام كتاب جيّد، المؤلف فيليب مانسل هو كاتب ومؤرّخ بريطاني له عدد كبير من الكتب تحديداً عن فرنسا والدولة العثمانيّة.
"حلب، صعود وتهاوي المدينة السورية التجارية العظيمة"
استهلَّ الكاتب البريطاني كتابه بترجمة لبيت المتنبي الشعري:
كُلّما رحّبت بنا الروض قلنا | حلب قصدنا وأنتِ السبيل
مشاعري اتجاه هذا الكتاب غريبة نوعاً ما، الكتاب يتناول في قسمه الأوّل تاريخ المدينة خاصة العثماني منها بشكل موسّع، لكن فيما بعد بدا وكأنَّ الكاتب جمع مجموعة من المقالات في مواضيع مختلفة ووضعها في الكتاب.
كان هنالك نقطة جميلة في الكتاب تتحدّث عن التنوّع العرقي في حلب، وحسبما قال الكاتب فإنَّ هذا التنوّع لو تمّت إدارته بشكل جيّد فهو سيكون مساهماً في ازدهار هذه المدينة، بينما لو تمّت إدارته بشكل سيّء فسيكون نقمة عليها.
الكتاب أيضاً يتحدّث عن المطبخ الحلبي وبعض العادات الاجتماعيّة لأهل حلب إضافة للحديث عن أهميّة التجارة وموقع المدينة.
جملة جميلة ذكرها الكاتب: ما يستلزم اسبوعين لبيعه في القاهرة، يُباع في يوم واحد في حلب.
وغيره الكثير من التفاصيل التي قد تكون جميلة من هنا وظالمة من هناك.
بشكل عام كتاب جيّد، المؤلف فيليب مانسل هو كاتب ومؤرّخ بريطاني له عدد كبير من الكتب تحديداً عن فرنسا والدولة العثمانيّة.
October 14, 2016
This was given to me by someone from Aleppo. The book is in two parts. The first part is a history of Aleppo, which I enjoyed but thought was too short. The second part is a collection of travel writings about the city from writers who'd visited it over the centuries. These varied from the extremely interesting - Gertrude Bell, for example - to the unbelievably dull - such as page after page of description of the various fruits (appearance, taste, seasonality, how they're cooked, what they're served with etc) available for sale in the markets of Aleppo 400 years ago. Unless you have a particular interest in Aleppo, I really wouldn't bother.
November 12, 2017
Basically a brief history of the city under the Ottomans to modern day, will historical travellers accounts from 16th to early 20th century.
Standard textbook fare - what I would have preferred is a bit more of the history of the city, which has existed since 5th century BC as the history presented is really "modern". As to the accounts, maybe better as an appendix or alternative, this should have been just a pure travelogue.
Standard textbook fare - what I would have preferred is a bit more of the history of the city, which has existed since 5th century BC as the history presented is really "modern". As to the accounts, maybe better as an appendix or alternative, this should have been just a pure travelogue.
February 15, 2017
Essentially a term paper follow by excerpts from previously written materials. Very disappointing and not worth buying.
August 11, 2022
Looking at the overall impression of the book - it is very average. It is split into two halves, the former being a brief summary of the history of Aleppo ( and Syria ) in 75 pages, with the latter being a collection of excerpts of descriptions of Aleppo from different writers over the years 1500-1920.
I thought the history section was incredibly brief, although this may have been the intention of the author - instead, with the excerpts of the second half you are given a deeper understanding of traditions, culture and the evolution of Aleppo.
Looking at it from the latter perspective, this book builds such a deep appreciation for the culture, but especially the people of Aleppo - so much so that looking at videos of Aleppo after the recent civil war brings me to tears.
Aleppo is undoubtedly a city rich in culture, and I came to love the distinct ways in which the society there is built - according to the eyes of Westerners.
This is my final problem with the book, although I believe that you get a pretty good account of Aleppo and the way it has changed and grown over the years, it bothers me that we do not get insight from any of the Aleppines themselves whether through interviews or personal anecdotes.
I will continue to read books on Syria over which time my opinion on this book may change.
I thought the history section was incredibly brief, although this may have been the intention of the author - instead, with the excerpts of the second half you are given a deeper understanding of traditions, culture and the evolution of Aleppo.
Looking at it from the latter perspective, this book builds such a deep appreciation for the culture, but especially the people of Aleppo - so much so that looking at videos of Aleppo after the recent civil war brings me to tears.
Aleppo is undoubtedly a city rich in culture, and I came to love the distinct ways in which the society there is built - according to the eyes of Westerners.
This is my final problem with the book, although I believe that you get a pretty good account of Aleppo and the way it has changed and grown over the years, it bothers me that we do not get insight from any of the Aleppines themselves whether through interviews or personal anecdotes.
I will continue to read books on Syria over which time my opinion on this book may change.
October 30, 2022
I believe Aleppo to be one of the most interesting cities in the entire world and a microcosm of the Middle East at large, and I cannot say this book served my expectations. It has 60 pages of solid, if a little dry, history. It unfortunately does not touch the ancient history of what was once an important Roman then Christian cultural site, and only briefly goes into the initial Arab invasions and settlements. The Ottoman history is what Mansel spends most of his time focusing on, as if this was the only important period in Aleppo's history.
My biggest issue with the book however is what lays beyond those 60 or so initial pages. Once finished with his account of Aleppo's history, Mansel drops a pile of raw, unaltered historical sources of Aleppo that last the rest of the book (mostly primary accounts of the city's life through the past few centuries from the point of view of Westerners). No spin on it, no interpretations. These sources literally repeat what he said for the first 60 pages! Overall a disappointment.
My biggest issue with the book however is what lays beyond those 60 or so initial pages. Once finished with his account of Aleppo's history, Mansel drops a pile of raw, unaltered historical sources of Aleppo that last the rest of the book (mostly primary accounts of the city's life through the past few centuries from the point of view of Westerners). No spin on it, no interpretations. These sources literally repeat what he said for the first 60 pages! Overall a disappointment.
April 11, 2021
Absolutely dreadful. The title of this book is Aleppo: The Rise and Fall of a World City...but in fact the book barely touches and rise and doesn't go into the fall of the city.
The author offers very little in terms of factual data, analysis and tries to sum up Aleppo in roughly 70 pages. A great city like Aleppo deserves much better than that.
The rest of the book is a collection of writings from travelers to Aleppo, which although interesting and offer first hand experience do not at all go into the Rise or Fall of the city.
This book gives the impression that it was something that was put together in quick and rather botched way. There is no research, no analysis or opinion into this.
A city such as Aleppo does not merit to be insulted this way after the recent conflict. A better alternative has to exist.
The author offers very little in terms of factual data, analysis and tries to sum up Aleppo in roughly 70 pages. A great city like Aleppo deserves much better than that.
The rest of the book is a collection of writings from travelers to Aleppo, which although interesting and offer first hand experience do not at all go into the Rise or Fall of the city.
This book gives the impression that it was something that was put together in quick and rather botched way. There is no research, no analysis or opinion into this.
A city such as Aleppo does not merit to be insulted this way after the recent conflict. A better alternative has to exist.
December 18, 2024
Las partes escritas por el autor son un 10, y la idea de ceder el resto del libro
a textos de autores anteriores sobre el tema es buena y original.
El problema viene cuando el rango de calidad literaria
de los distintos autores seleccionados es muy desigual.
El texto de Alexander Russell, por ejemplo, me ha parecido soberbio.
Otros textos, en cambio, me han resultado indiferentes en el mejor de los casos.
La labor del autor es de agradecer, en cualquier caso: jamás me hubiera topado
con ninguno de estos textos de no haber sido por esta selección.
4,5 estrellas sobre 5.
Primer libro que leo de este autor.
No será el último.
a textos de autores anteriores sobre el tema es buena y original.
El problema viene cuando el rango de calidad literaria
de los distintos autores seleccionados es muy desigual.
El texto de Alexander Russell, por ejemplo, me ha parecido soberbio.
Otros textos, en cambio, me han resultado indiferentes en el mejor de los casos.
La labor del autor es de agradecer, en cualquier caso: jamás me hubiera topado
con ninguno de estos textos de no haber sido por esta selección.
4,5 estrellas sobre 5.
Primer libro que leo de este autor.
No será el último.
May 3, 2023
This book provides a brief history of the city of Aleppo, focusing on its cosmopolitan nature. The second half of the book contains excerpts from travel writers (from the late 18th century to the early 20th century) on Aleppo. It is a good introduction, but somewhat limited in terms of its depth. I have read other books by the same author, and they typically cover more detail overall.
March 3, 2023
Mansel's work is well-written, but is primarily descriptive rather than explanatory.
Unfortunately, more than half of the book is given over to excerpts of historical accounts of Aleppo, some of which are more enjoyable/instructive than others.
Unfortunately, more than half of the book is given over to excerpts of historical accounts of Aleppo, some of which are more enjoyable/instructive than others.
March 14, 2025
The second section is traveller's accounts. I had not read a book in this format. I was cross-referencing everything on Google Maps. It does feel like I have already visited the city and yearn to go back.
December 9, 2019
A splendid read and introductory book on Aleppo and its recent calamities
December 27, 2019
A good, informative read on Aleppo. Provides the catalyst for further lines of inquiry.
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