Letters from Turkey are actually memoirs written by Europeans who had been to

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. Usually, the series of letters had been collected and published later on with various titles. But they are popularly known as "Letters from Turkey" or "Turkish letters". Below is the summary of these.

Letters by Busbecq

Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq (1522 in Comines – 29 October 1592 in Saint-Germain-sous-Cailly; la, Augerius Gislenius Busbequius), sometimes Augier Ghislain de Busbecq, was a 16th-century Flemish writer, herbalist and diplomat in the employ ...

(1522-1592) was a diplomat in the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

. He was sent to the Ottoman Empire to discuss the disputed territory of

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

(modern west

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

) in 1554. During his stay his addresses were

Rüstem Pasha Rüstem Pasha (; ota, رستم پاشا; 1505 – 10 July 1561) was an Ottoman statesman who served as Grand Vizier to Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent. Rüstem Pasha is also known as Damat Rüstem Pasha (the epithet ''damat'' meaning 'son- ...

and

Semiz Ali Pasha Semiz Ali Pasha ( ota, سيمز علي پاشا, sh, Semiz Ali-Paša ) was an Ottoman statesman from the Sanjak of Bosnia who served as Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire from 1561 to 1565. He was the beylerbey (governor) of Egypt Eyalet from ...

both of which were

grand vizier Grand vizier ( fa, وزيرِ اعظم, vazîr-i aʾzam; ota, صدر اعظم, sadr-ı aʾzam; tr, sadrazam) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. The office of Grand Vizier was first ...

s. Upon returning to his country he published the letters he had written to his colleague Nicholas Michault under the title ''Turcicae epistolae''. Busbuecq is also known for his introduction of

tulip Tulips (''Tulipa'') are a genus of spring-blooming perennial herbaceous bulbiferous geophytes (having bulbs as storage organs). The flowers are usually large, showy and brightly coloured, generally red, pink, yellow, or white (usually in warm ...

, from Turkish flora to Europe.

Letters by Montagu

Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1689-1762) was the wife of Edward Wortley Montagu (diplomat), Edward Wortley Montagu, the Kingdom of Great Britain, British ambassador to Ottoman Empire between 1716-1718. The letters about her travels and observations about Ottoman life was published under the title ''Turkish Embassy Letters''. One of her important observations was the primitive form of smallpox vaccination.

Letters by Mikes

Kelemen Mikes (1690–1761) was a Hungarian people, Hungarian essayist, noted for his rebellious activities against the Habsburg monarchy. Although backed by Ottoman Empire, Hungarian rebels were defeated and Mikes had to choose a life in exile. After 1715, Mikes spent the rest of his life in Tekirdağ, a city near to İstanbul (also known as Constantinople). His work is known as ''Letters from Turkey''.

Letters by Moltke

Helmuth von Moltke the Elder (1800-1891) was an officier in Prussian army.{{Cite web, url=http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/people_moltke.html, title=Helmuth Karl Bernhard Graf Von Moltke (1800-91), website=www.historyofwar.org He spent four years in the Ottoman Empire as a military advisor between 1835-1839. Upon returning to German Empire, Germany, he published ''Letters on Conditions and Events in Turkey in the Years 1835 to 1839''.

Gallery

File:Ogier Ghislain de Busbecq AGE V25 1808.jpg, Busbecq File:Mary Wortley Montagu round.jpg, Montagu File:Mikes Kelemen olajkép.jpg, Mikes File:Field Marshal Count Helmuth von Moltke.jpg, Moltke

References