Ottoman Odyssey

**Nominated for the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year** Alif Scott's journey began when she searched beyond Turkey's borders for contemporary traces of the Ottoman Empire. Their 800-year rule ended a century ago—yet as she travels across a dozen countries from Kosovo to Greece and Palestine, she discovers a vital and relevant legacy; one where medieval ethnic diversity meets 21st-century nationalism, and displaced people seek new identities. It's a story of surprises. An Erdoğan henchman in predominantly Christian Serbia confirms the broad appeal of his authoritarian leadership. A Druze warlord explains the secretive religious faction at the heart of the Middle East. The scroll-like streets of Jerusalem's Old City hint at Ottoman coexistence between Muslims and Jews. And in Turkish Cyprus, Alif Scott rediscovers her childhood home. In each community, history is present as a potent force. Confronted with questions of exile, diaspora, and collective memory, Alif Scott searches for answers from the cafes of Beirut to the refugee camps of Lesbos. In the neo-Ottoman Turkey promoted by Erdoğan, she reveals a version of a nostalgic utopia sold to disillusioned voters in Europe and the United States. Yet, as she describes with compassion, insight, and humor, diversity is the vibrant and threatening heart of this fascinating region.