Shibli’s Travelogue of the Ottoman Empire in 1892: Coffee Shops in Istanbul

This is a brief but fascinating account of Shibli’s discovery of hundreds of coffee houses in Istanbul, some of which resembled palaces. Some of these coffee shops were located on the shores of the Bosphorous, while some were located in the sea with wooden bridges giving them access.

Shibli recounts how pleasurable it was to spend evenings with friends in the coffee shops, and he laments the Indian’s lack of fondness for coffee shops.

I hope to translate the Urdu voiceover into English soon.