If Istanbul is on your travel itinerary, then historian Bettany Hughes’ book Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities is a must read. Historian Bettany Hughes is a fine storyteller and the triple biography of Byzantium, Constantinople and Istanbul is world history enmeshed in one desirable location. Persians, Vandals, Goths and the Crusaders all made their mark at various times and the modern city bears traces of them all. Constantinople and its history evoked a world which artists and writers dreamed of and an extract from W.B. Packs of war orphans found refuge in Constantinople's mosques and when peace came it was the only belligerent capital city to be occupied by the Allies.

Source: Otago Daily Times March 12, 2017 18:00 UTC