Evliya Celebi was the Orhan Pamuk of the 17th century, the Pepys of the Ottoman world. This brand new translation by the foremost scholar of his age, brings Evliya sparkling back to life, so that we can relish his charm and intelligence once more, whether he is describing high jinks in the bathhouses, being kidnapped by bandits, Ottoman Istanbul in its baroque heyday or a worldwide convention of trapeze artists.