Historical

The Architect's Apprentice

The Architect's Apprentice

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  • Create Date：2021-09-23 05:52:07
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Elif Shafak
  • ISBN：0241970946
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Summary

In 1540， twelve-year-old Jahan arrives in Istanbul。 As an animal tamer in the sultan’s menagerie， he looks after the exceptionally smart elephant Chota and befriends （and falls for） the sultan’s beautiful daughter， Princess Mihrimah。 A palace education leads Jahan to Mimar Sinan， the empire’s chief architect， who takes Jahan under his wing as they construct （with Chota’s help） some of the most magnificent buildings in history。 Yet even as they build Sinan’s triumphant masterpieces—the incredible Suleymaniye and Selimiye mosques—dangerous undercurrents begin to emerge， with jealousy erupting among Sinan’s four apprentices。

A memorable story of artistic freedom， creativity， and the clash between science and fundamentalism， Shafak’s intricate novel brims with vibrant characters， intriguing adventure， and the lavish backdrop of the Ottoman court， where love and loyalty are no match for raw power。

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Reviews

Milad Jafari ，

کلا زبان نوشتار این خانم ر ودوست دارمجذب میکنه منومجبورم میکنه ادامه بدم داستان رو

امیرمحمد حیدری ，

چرا از دیدن نام نیماژ روی کتاب تعجب نکردم؟ چون انتشارات و جامعه‌ی کتاب‌خوانی نیز در گیشه‌گرایی سینما فرو رفته。

Barbara ，

Good storytelling with wonderful historical facts thrown in。 After being in Istanbul several times， I was able to see many of the landmarks included in the story。 When visiting the Topaki Palace， we saw the harem quarters & many different gardens but don't know where the menagerie was housed。Didn't know anything about the architect， Sinan， but story gives a good overview of his accomplishments。 Amazing history & view of royal life。 Good storytelling with wonderful historical facts thrown in。 After being in Istanbul several times， I was able to see many of the landmarks included in the story。 When visiting the Topaki Palace， we saw the harem quarters & many different gardens but don't know where the menagerie was housed。Didn't know anything about the architect， Sinan， but story gives a good overview of his accomplishments。 Amazing history & view of royal life。 。。。more

Esraa ，

masterpiece 🤍

Mariam Al-Najafi ，

I really loved the historical aspect of this book。 Learning about all the buildings that were built in this era made me wish I’d read this book before visiting Istanbul。 I found the main character to be likeable and interesting though not as engaging as some other characters in elif shafaks books。 The main star was the elephant chota who was a delight。 For me the main downside was the ending， it was both anticlimactic and a pointless？

Mehmet Yorulmaz ，

Hikaye / Kurgu orta altı。 Yavaş ilerliyor。 Merak uyandırmıyor。 Kitap boyunca bol bol Osmanlı Padişahları， eşleri， paşaları hakkında aslı astarı olmayan tezviratlar， hakaretler， ithamlar duymaya hazır olun。 Padişahların kardeşlerini öldürtmesinden ve içki içmesinden tutun da， hikayenin baş kahramanı olan oğlan çocuğunun sarayda başka çalışan tarafından tecavüz girişimine uğramasına kadar tartışma yaratacak unsurlar serpiştirilerek， kurgu "ilginç" / çok konuşulur hale getirilmeye çalışılmış。 Yine Hikaye / Kurgu orta altı。 Yavaş ilerliyor。 Merak uyandırmıyor。 Kitap boyunca bol bol Osmanlı Padişahları， eşleri， paşaları hakkında aslı astarı olmayan tezviratlar， hakaretler， ithamlar duymaya hazır olun。 Padişahların kardeşlerini öldürtmesinden ve içki içmesinden tutun da， hikayenin baş kahramanı olan oğlan çocuğunun sarayda başka çalışan tarafından tecavüz girişimine uğramasına kadar tartışma yaratacak unsurlar serpiştirilerek， kurgu "ilginç" / çok konuşulur hale getirilmeye çalışılmış。 Yine kitapta muhtelif geneleve gitme hikayeleri mevcut。 Dolayısıyla ahlaki açıdan da kanaatimce sakıncalı bir kitap。 Keşke Elif Şafak bu tür ucuz numaralara başvurmasa ve sadece yazarlığı， hayal gücü， özgün tarzı ile kendini ortaya koymaya çalışsa。Tarz/Üslup: Ortalama。 Ne çok akıcı， ne de çok sıkıcı。Bu tür gerçek tarihsel karakterlerin isimlerini kullanan fakat tarihsel gerçekler yerine hayal mahsulü olayları anlatan kitaplar bana çok tehlikeli geliyor。 Okuyucuların birçoğu okuduklarını tarihsel gerçekler sanıyorlar。 Bu yönüyle de çok tehlikeli buluyorum bu kitabı。 。。。more

Alex ，

Shafak is an amazing storyteller。 With every book of hers that I read I am more and more convinced of this。 4🌟 because what the heck was that magical realism whatchamacallit right at the end which came too fast as if it was forced？

Lulwa Al-eisa ，

مختلفه 。。 رواية خياليه لشخصيات واحداث تاريخيه 。。 تستحق القراءة

Cynthia ，

Not my favourite of Shafek’s。 it’s more like the time line and research dictated the story rather than other way around。I also prefer her female characters。

Razaq Khazi-Syed ，

The Architect’s Apprentice is a sweeping journey through a tumultuous century of the Ottoman Empire at the height of its powers in the 16/17th centuries。 The hundred or so years in the book cover the era of Suleiman the Magnificent， and his successors Selim II， and Murad III。The novel by Elif Shafak， a Turkish-English author is historical fiction that stays true to the spirit of the era。 She does take some artistic liberties with the sequence of events and insertion of fictional characters to sh The Architect’s Apprentice is a sweeping journey through a tumultuous century of the Ottoman Empire at the height of its powers in the 16/17th centuries。 The hundred or so years in the book cover the era of Suleiman the Magnificent， and his successors Selim II， and Murad III。The novel by Elif Shafak， a Turkish-English author is historical fiction that stays true to the spirit of the era。 She does take some artistic liberties with the sequence of events and insertion of fictional characters to shape the narrative。 The titular character and his exploits are her fictional additions。I had access to the e-book version of the book and the audio version of the book， and I was able to go seamlessly between the two formats。 Listening to the book made me feel like I was hearing a magical tale from Scheherazade’s One Thousand and One Nights。Elif was apparently inspired to write this book after she saw a painting of Suleiman the Magnificent with a ceremonially bedecked elephant （with its mahout） in the background。 Which made her wonder about that elephant — where did it come from and how did it become part of the royal court。Through a series of interesting （whether they are fortunate or unfortunate is debatable） events， Jahan， a young Indian boy arrives at the court of Suleiman the Magnificent as the mahout of a white elephant calf， Chota， sent by the Mughal Emperor Humayun to Suleiman as a royal gift。Curiosity killed the cat they say， but the endlessly curious Jahan manages to survive and even thrive at the periphery of the royal court， where the menagerie exists。 He strikes up a curious， but necessarily distant fellowship with Princess Mihrimah， the only daughter of Suleiman。 You get a sense that they are kindred souls， despite their stations in life — the lonely mahout far removed from his family and his country of birth， and the lonely princess who considers her nursemaid her surrogate parent。 The Princess is enthralled by the white elephant and visits the Royal menagerie often… to spend time with the elephant and to hear Jahan’s fantastical tales。 Could the friendship blossom into more than just friendship， under such circumstances？Struggling to stay relevant （after all the sultan might get bored with the elephant and banish it from the palace！）， young Jahan convinces the royal court that Chota has a war elephant lineage and that he can be a useful addition to the Ottoman army in their campaigns。 And endless campaigns there were… Suleiman the Magnificent is reported to have spent more time on horseback directing the various campaigns than sitting on his throne in Istanbul。 Chota， of course， is totally unwarlike， but the lion tamer lends Jahan a hand， and they train Chota to become a war elephant。 Things do not go according to plan in the battle， and Jahan is consumed with regret for having gotten Chota tangled in military matters。On one of those military campaigns， Jahan meets Mimar Sinan， who is a Janissary in the service of Suleiman。 Sinan， who distinguishes himself by building bridges （he is a builder and a carpenter by training）， and other military structures while on the campaign eventually becomes the Chief Royal Architect for Suleiman。 And in due course， Jahan becomes an apprentice to Sinan， while continuing his duties as the mahout of the royal elephant Chota。 Sinan has three other apprentices — he is a wise and equanimous man who picks his apprentices with care （each has a backstory that slowly comes to the fore）。 The apprentices love their master， they work hard， and they work well with each other， but there is an undercurrent of tension， and is there a danger of that low tension ballooning into something like jealousy？ How does one get to be first among equals？ And what role does the palace play， with its myriad connections and intrigues？The book is divided into three parts — the part before Jahan meets Mimar Sinan （mostly about Jahan and the elephant and how they get established in the palace）， the part while he is Sinan’s apprentice （this is the prime of Jahan life and the time of his various adventures）， and the part after Sinan （the period when all loose ends are tidied up）。Elif does a great job of describing the city of Istanbul — the great buildings， tree-lined avenues， the Royal palaces， gardens and harems， and the mean streets and desperate hovels。 You get a sense of the bustling metropolis that was the power center of a powerful and extensive Ottoman Empire。 In times of war or sickness， you also get a sense of the dread and malaise that befell the city as one plague or another calamity swept through。The book has many characters as befits a sweeping 100-year saga， but the number of characters is not so large that it becomes difficult to follow the story or the different character threads。The narrative markers in the book are the monumental works that Sinan and his apprentices create — the Suleimaniye Mosque in Istanbul， the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne （Adrianople）， the renovation of the Hagia Sophia， the renovation of the ancient/Roman aqueducts that bring water to the city of Istanbul， and the royal observatory。 Each project has unique attributes and turns out to be fertile ground for vehement disagreements and palace intrigue， and each project feels like it could be the end of the road for Sinan and Jahan， but they endure… seemingly always living on the edge。 Sultans are impatient people… if they don’t get their way， they don’t think twice before using extreme measures！Jahan is a sympathetic character who mostly tries to do the right thing， with his actions driven by love and loyalty， though often it feels like he is being swept along by events that he has little control over。 Jahan gets into his share of scrapes but manages to wriggle out of them with help from some likely and some unlikely places — Chota， the elephant he loves， his master Sinan， his fellow animal keepers in the menagerie， and even the chief of the gypsies of Istanbul！ But the opponents are no pushovers — the Grand Vizier， the Shaykh Al-Islam （the chief religious authority）， the chief white Eunuch， the disapproving nursemaid to Mihrimah， and many more — all somewhat cartoonish， but all suitably villainous！The denouement makes clear all the underlying tangles of relationships， bonds of love and respect on one side and jealousies on the other， happiness and joy on one side and long suffering and smoldering rage on the other， trust on side and deception on the other。 And things are not always what they seem to be。In the intro to the book， Jahan muses: “only a few have discovered the Centre of the Universe — where there is no good and no evil， no past and no future， no ‘I’ and no ‘thou’， no war， and no reason for war， just an endless sea of calm。 What they found there was so beautiful that they lost their ability to speak…”As the sweeping saga winds down， at a particularly poignant moment of his life that has to do with his beloved elephant Chota， Jahan thinks that he has finally found the center of the universe that he has always been seeking: “In that moment a strange calmness came over him。 He was， for the first time， at peace with himself。 He was part of everything， and everything was part of him。 So， this was it， he thought。 Centre of the universe was neither in the East nor in the West。 It was where one surrendered to love。”The magical， fairy-tale like quality of the book draws you in and holds you and you wonder at the end of it all what it would be like to find your own center of the universe！ 。。。more

Sudds Thompson ，

I realy enjoyd reading this story that entwines history and imagination。 I could hardly stope preading it I looked forward to having a pause so I could read more。

قسمت خالد ，

الفتي المتيم والمعلم - إليف شافاقإيه الجمال والحلاوة دي⁦♥️⁩⁦♥️⁩عشت أسيرة قصة الفتى الهندي جهان والفيل الأبيض شوتا واللي حصللهم。。 وتداخلت معاهم سيرة شخصيات حقيقية عاشت زمان بشوية تعديل ف تفاصيل صغيرة عملته شافاق。المعلم سنان （ معمار سنان） والسلطانة مهرماه والسلطان سليم وشخصيات كتير حقيقيةتفاصيل منسوجة بجمال ودقة في عمل راااائع وشيق إلى أبعد حدمن ترشيحاتي_للقراءة2021 وبقوة😍😍#الفتى_المتيم_والمعلم#إليف_شافاق

Rachel Katzmann ，

A swift read， but a long meandering story dreamily concocted。 I never quite caught the timeline， but left aside my expectations for any clarity early on。 I loved escaping into the story’s imagery and delighted with our protagonist as he kept evading trouble again and again。

A ，

It's one of those books that I loved and I'll make sure to share as a gift 🤩 Historical context description， storyline， writing style - I loved all of them！ It's one of those books that I loved and I'll make sure to share as a gift 🤩 Historical context description， storyline， writing style - I loved all of them！ 。。。more

Ahmed Hamdy ，

رواية ٦٠٠ صفحة لم تشعر في واحده منها بالملل بالرغم من كم التفاصيل التي كانت ترويها الكاتبة فاسهابها هذا كان قادر على ان يجعل المرء يعيش كل لحظه فيها كانه كان هناكمن اجما ما قرأت حقا

Rebecca Burland ，

I really enjoyed this novel。 It explores a time， place and culture I knew very little about， and the central story of Jahan and his relationship with both his master and his elephant was compelling。 My only issue was that at times I found the descriptions of the architectural work quite tedious to read （possibly because I struggle to visualise buildings， it would probably be far more interesting to someone with an interest in architecture） and I also found the ending rather strange。 I'm definite I really enjoyed this novel。 It explores a time， place and culture I knew very little about， and the central story of Jahan and his relationship with both his master and his elephant was compelling。 My only issue was that at times I found the descriptions of the architectural work quite tedious to read （possibly because I struggle to visualise buildings， it would probably be far more interesting to someone with an interest in architecture） and I also found the ending rather strange。 I'm definitely glad I read it though and it has left me wanting to know more about the Ottoman empire。 。。。more

Sahil ，

“It seemed to Jahan that， in truth， this world， too， was a spectacle。 One way or another， everyone was parading。 They performed their tricks， each of them， some staying longer， others shorter， but in the end they all left through the back door， similarly unfulfilled， similarly in need of applause。”The Architect's Apprentice is a book about love， but hardly of lovers。 Each character， especially Jahan， lived – and died， in the pursuit of their love。 The love of building， of a beast， of the sky， or “It seemed to Jahan that， in truth， this world， too， was a spectacle。 One way or another， everyone was parading。 They performed their tricks， each of them， some staying longer， others shorter， but in the end they all left through the back door， similarly unfulfilled， similarly in need of applause。”The Architect's Apprentice is a book about love， but hardly of lovers。 Each character， especially Jahan， lived – and died， in the pursuit of their love。 The love of building， of a beast， of the sky， or of work。 Of pride， and of justice。This was my second book by Shafak， and while I assumed I wouldn't enjoy it as much – it had a mesmerizing way of keeping me stuck to it – physically or mentally。Jahan arrived in the city of Istanbul merely a child， with nothing to his name but a sham profession。 Throughout the book， he encounters many forces of Istanbul and grows old。 What's most impressive – the aging is clear without having for it to be mentioned regularly。 Istanbul is described several times in the book， from different perspectives。 The Sultan's pride making the city sound divine， the Architect's eyes – a project， and for a pedestrian， and for the reader （for the most part）， a minefield。 “But Istanbul is a city of easy forgettings。 Things are written in water over there， except the works of my master， which are written in stone。”My favorite genre of books， rather a theme – is books that have a rather instant effect on your perspective。 You look at things differently。 You pause to acknowledge it。 This book， made me want to travel everywhere I've been before， with this new perspective。 Each temple， fort， or mosque I've visited and disregarded。 Every tomb I've failed to recognize the beauty in。 I strongly recommend reading this book – at least for those who like me， have an inherent reaction of condemning the relics of the past。 Shafak has a unique way of wording things， often。 She's clearly a very accomplished writer and has a talented way with words。 Yet， often it seems almost homely – like a story told from home to home。 She invites you into her world; rather her passions， and beckons you to stay。 Moreover， she makes you want to listen， be it about an elephant-tamer in Istanbul， or an astronomer with a fervor bringing dire consequences。 Another very intricate detail was how while this book felt very spoken and homely， it also didn't belittle the reader。 It used words in Persian often （and while there were translations on the bottom sometimes）， usually you understood the word out of context， or you learned to learn along。 While this could have been annoying， it wasn't – because in most cases， the context was enough。 Even then， it only served to make you feel more at home。 It didn't make you feel like a guest in this life that she's created。There is so much to love about this book， so much to learn。 Above all else， so much to keep with you for the rest of your being。 Rating: 4。5/5 。。。more

Basma ，

Un chef d'oeuvre。 C'est exquis ！ Un chef d'oeuvre。 C'est exquis ！ 。。。more

Mirachil27 ，

A Glorious TaleThis is the story of Jahan， a young boy carried on the wings of fate to land in the jewel of the Ottoman Empire， Istanbul。 He begins his life in the menagerie of the great Sultan Suleiman as a mahout to Chota， a white elephant who becomes a favorite of the Sultan。 In time he is chosen by the Royal Architect as an apprentice。 The story weaves on through nearly a hundred years full of his unrequited love for a princess he can never have， his abiding love for Chota and his Master’s l A Glorious TaleThis is the story of Jahan， a young boy carried on the wings of fate to land in the jewel of the Ottoman Empire， Istanbul。 He begins his life in the menagerie of the great Sultan Suleiman as a mahout to Chota， a white elephant who becomes a favorite of the Sultan。 In time he is chosen by the Royal Architect as an apprentice。 The story weaves on through nearly a hundred years full of his unrequited love for a princess he can never have， his abiding love for Chota and his Master’s love for him。 Treachery abounds in the Ottoman castle， and many times Jahan is near death only to be saved by a mysterious gypsy， Balaban。 The book is long but worth every minute of reading。 If you enjoy books that take you to places distant in time and place， full of characters like none you will meet anywhere else， this is a book for you。 。。。more

Lizzie ，

CAWPILE rating: 6。57/10

Kay Inglis ，

As a child， my favorite reads were animals stories （Kjeldgaard） and fables and tales from around the world。 I still jump into my childhood now and then。 The book had both， plus architecture！ I did find the story a bit sprawling and didn't realize until the end where the plot was going， but I still enjoyed the ancient culture， the building， and of course， the elephant。 Also， I can't tell you how many times I stared at the cover。 This story is magical。 As a child， my favorite reads were animals stories （Kjeldgaard） and fables and tales from around the world。 I still jump into my childhood now and then。 The book had both， plus architecture！ I did find the story a bit sprawling and didn't realize until the end where the plot was going， but I still enjoyed the ancient culture， the building， and of course， the elephant。 Also， I can't tell you how many times I stared at the cover。 This story is magical。 。。。more

Julie ，

Beautiful。 A pleasure to read

Chhanda ，

Love to read historical fiction。 The book again inspired me to visit Istanbul to see the great architect's work， who wrote poems through his construction。 Love to read historical fiction。 The book again inspired me to visit Istanbul to see the great architect's work， who wrote poems through his construction。 。。。more

Giovanna Fabris Orizzonte ，

Coinvolgente e scritto molto bene， unica pecca un finale a mio avviso troppe "frettoloso" Coinvolgente e scritto molto bene， unica pecca un finale a mio avviso troppe "frettoloso" 。。。more

thomas ，

Loved learning about historical events and rituals that wouldn't be readily available。The writing was smart and kept me interested all the way through。 Loved learning about historical events and rituals that wouldn't be readily available。The writing was smart and kept me interested all the way through。 。。。more

Tractor Girl ，

I enjoyed the book， but it was a bit long winded。。。possibly 100 pages less and it would have been excellent

Ali El-Garby ，

مش احلى حاجة قريتها لإليف ولكن اكيد اكيد تستحق القراءة💜

Amani Ahmed ，

بقدر حبي لهذه الرواية أعطيها أربع نجماتٍ كوني قد قرأتُ لإيليف شفق قبل هذا و أعرف مدى جمال كتابات إيليف و سحرها💛 كأنها رواية تأخذك في استراحةٍ طويلة، عن العالم و الناس لتغوص في تفاصيل العمارة التركية و روعتها،تنسى همومك لتشارك جَهان همه، امتعاضه و فرحه، خوفه و حزنه و كل شيء يعيشه。。قرأتُها قبل عام و نصف، و أشعر برابطة قرابة غريبة بيني و بين جهان و شوتا و المعلم سنان، و كأنهم أصبحوا رفاقاً أعزاء لي。。كل ما يمكنني قوله هو: شكراً إيليف 💛

Ali Nedal TOFFAHA ，

رواية ساحرة تنقلنا في رحلة ممتعة في عالم السلطنة العثمانية و بغض النظر عن تغيير بعض التواريخ في سرد الرواية إلا أن الروائية شافاك حقا استطاعت أن تجعل القارئ متلهفا لقلب الصفحة ومتابعة الأحداث بقدر مساوي للهفته لإعادة اكتشاف زمن العثمانيين بعيدا عن هذه الرواية وما قدموه للعالم

Ahmed zawawi ，

read the Arabic version of it; sad ; touching ; and make you escape reality big time。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Architect's Apprentice

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Architect's Apprentice&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Architect's Apprentice&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0