This splendidly illustrated book focuses on the botanical legacy of many parts of the former Ottoman Empire — including present-day Turkey, the Levant, Egypt, the Balkans, and the Arabian Peninsula — as seen and described by travellers both from within and from outside the region.

Foreword – by Semih Lütfü Turgut, Turkish Consul General in Edinburgh ; Preface – by Sabina Knees ; Introduction to Travellers in Ottoman Lands: The Botanical Legacy – by Paul Starkey ; Acknowledgements – by Paul Starkey ; THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE ; 1 The Ottoman Empire: an introduction to its history and heritage – by Ines Aščerić-Todd ; THE OTTOMAN GARDEN ; 2 Presenting and re-presenting Ottoman imperial gardens in manuscript illustrations: the case of the Oxford Dilsūznāmah, dated AH 860/AD 1455–1456, Edirne – by Susan Scollay ; 3 Ottoman fruit cultivation as reflected in Evliya Çelebi’s Book of Travels 43 ; Priscilla Mary Işın ; 4 Gardens of Istanbul in Persian hajj travelogues (Güllü Yıldız) [Open Access: Download] ; 5 The public space of the Bakewell Ottoman Garden – by Radha Dalal ; BOTANIST-TRAVELLERS ; 6 Dioscorides’ legacy: a classical precursor to travellers in Ottoman lands (Alison Denham) [Open Access: Download] ; 7 Botanical explorations by Frederik Hasselquist (1749–1752) and Pehr Forsskål (1761–1763): Linné’s apostles in the Holy Land – by Tobias Mörike ; 8 From Ottoman Aleppo to Edinburgh: the botanical legacies of Adam Freer MD and his colleagues – by Janet Starkey ; 9 The botanist Carl Haussknecht (1838–1903) in the Ottoman Empire and Persia (1865 and 1866–1869): a biographical sketch and itinerary of his expeditions – by Frank H. Hellwig & Kristin Victor ; 10 In honour of Professor Asuman Baytop (1920–2015): a tribute | On Georges Vincent Aznavour, the last Ottoman plant collector and his herbarium held in the Robert College (Istanbul), Turkey – by Necmi Aksoy ; 11 Violet Dickson, Umm Saud, the last grande dame of Arabia – by Irene Linning† ; BULBS AND CONIFERS ; 12 Bulbs of the Holy Land: diversity, conservation, and cultivation – by Ori Fragman-Sapir ; 13 George Maw (1832–1912): his Crocus monograph, travels, and correspondents from the Ottoman Empire – by Alison Rix ; 14 Decline of the conifers in former Ottoman lands – by Martin Gardner & Sabina Knees ; 15 The cedars of Lebanon in literature and art – by Paul Starkey ; ART AND BOTANY ; 16 Botanical art in Turkey from past to present – by Gülnur Ekşi ; 17 The interpretation of Ottoman garden culture through miniatures – by Gürsan Ergil ; 18 Richly decorated textiles and Ottoman court dress – by Jennifer Scarce ; 19 Taking ‘stalk’ of Turkey red in Ottoman flora, fabric, and fibre – by Lara Mehling ; 20 Roses, carnations, and ‘Prophet’s eggs’: Turkish needle lace flowers between decoration and non-verbal communication – by Gérard J. Maizou & Kathrin Müller