Evliya Çelebi: Book of Travels

An online exhibition

In partnership with the British Council Maslaha has built an online exhibition about the constant mix of conversations that have occurred between Islamic people, cultures, societies and Europe. Maslaha is a new web-based organisation closely linked to the Young Foundation in London which aims to provide a greater understanding of Islam and its practices for Muslims and non-Muslims alike. In mid-June 2010, the online version has been launched at www.thebookoftravels.org.

To make things even more interesting, Maslaha also built a physical exhibition which was on display in mid-May 2010 at Bethnal Green Library in East London.

The theme of this exhibition is travel – both of individuals and also ideas across time and geographical boundaries. In particular, the project focuses on a 17th century Turkish traveller, Evliya Çelebi, who wrote extensively of his travels to Europe and North Africa in his book, Seyahatnâme: Book of Travels. This exhibition aims to capture the sense of curiousity that drives exploration, and the human desire to investigate and learn more about different cultures and experiences.

Maslaha takes the visitor on a journey through the eyes of Çelebi and other world travellers such as Lady Mary Montagu, Thomas Dallam, the Blunts – all of whom were driven by their curiosity and a sense of adventure which led them to exotic lands and engendered a fascination in the lives of others. These accounts provide a valuable historical reflection of what life was like through their eyes, and were especially unique in a time when to undertake such journeys was far more challenging – a particularly if accompanied by an organ! Importantly, their accounts provide contrasting views of similar themes, reminding us how subjective the portrayal of people of different cultures can be.

Running parallel to their travels is the exchange of ideas and how these ideas developed in parallel across different cities and were carried across thousands of miles. The exhibition looks at music, medicine, storytelling and more, comparing and contrasting Istanbul, London, Vienna and Cairo.

Read Book of Travels: How the Ottomans shaped London, Raheel Mohammed's introduction to the exhibition at the BBC London website.