The Grand Turk

The historian and author of Strolling Through Istanbul presents a detailed portrait of the fifteenth century Ottoman sultan, revealing the man behind the myths. Sultan Mehmet II—known to his countrymen as The Conqueror, and to much of Europe as The Terror of the World—was once Europe's most feared and powerful ruler. Now John Freely, the noted scholar of Turkish history, brings this charismatic hero to life in evocative and authoritative biography. Mehmet was barely twenty-one when he conquered Byzantine Constantinople, which became Istanbul and the capital of his mighty empire. He reigned for thirty years, during which time his armies extended the borders of his empire halfway across Asia Minor and as far into Europe as Hungary and Italy. Three popes called for crusades against him as Christian Europe came face to face with a new Muslim empire. Revered by the Turks and seen as a brutal tyrant by the West, Mehmet was a brilliant military leader as well as a renaissance prince. His court housed Persian and Turkish poets, Arab and Greek astronomers, and Italian scholars and artists. In The Grand Turk, Freely sheds vital new light on this enigmatic ruler.

Comprised of 200 miles of fine white sand beaches bordering turquoise seas, the 40 islands of the Turks and Caicos (TCI) - historically seen as an appendage of the Bahamas - form a unique Caribbean archipelago.With a pleasant climate all year round, TCI is one of the world's top destinations for diving and snorkelling. With coral reef reaching depths of more than 7,000ft, TCI is world-renowned for its wall diving. Turks and Caicos Islands also reveals the islands' lesser-known terrestrial attractions. Soak up Bermudian architecture in the historical old capital, Cockburn Town; visit one of the best museums in the Caribbean, inspired by the oldest shipwreck in the Americas at Molasses Reef; or simply unwind on one of the country's idyllic beaches.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Turks Islands Landfall by H.E. Sadler is a well researched and authoritative account of the Islands' history from 1492 to the present time. It presents compelling evidence that it was Turks Islands where the Lucayan Indians first greeted Christopher Columbus; it brings together extensive material on the country's development of the salt trade, the Bermudian and Bahamian influences, as well as the American Loyalist settlements in the Islands. The book reveals the seafaring, shipwrecking and privateering history, and its entry into modern times. For students of Turks and Caicos and Caribbean history, it is an indispensable tool for study and research.

Every day Sandy the donkey helps her owner, Simon, to take his pails into town to get water from the well, but everyone is concerned when she comes to town one day without Simon.