Ottoman Istanbul and Turks through Arabic travel books: Rihlat Ibrahim al-Khiyârî

In this study, the observations of the Ottoman Istanbul and Turks in the travel book named Tuhfatu'l-udebâ' wa salwatu'l-gurabâ' by the traveler Ibrahim al-Khiyârî (d.1672) from Madina were examined. Ibrahim al-Khiyârî came to Anatolia via Damascus and from here to Istanbul. When Sultan Mehmed IV and state officials were in the vicinity of Thessaloniki Larissa, he passed through Edirne and went to Larissa. Here, he met the sultan, Sheikh al-Islâm and some state officials and returned to Madinah after receiving a certificate stating that he would return to his duty. He recorded her impressions of the cities he visited and the people living there in his travel book, also known as Rihlatu'l-Khiyârî, during his journey of 1 year 9 months 17 days. This work, written with poems and literary arts, is a travel book of literary significance. In this study, it is aimed to reveal observations of the traveler Ibrahim al-Khiyârî, who is an Ottoman subject as an Ottoman citizen, about the Ottoman Istanbul and the Turks, who are of Arab origin and have a different spoken language. Keywords: Arabic Travel Literature, Travel book, Ibrahim al-Khiyârî, Tuhfatu'l-udebâ' wa salwatu'l-gurabâ', Madinah, Ottoman Istanbul, Ottomans/ The Turks, Mehmed IV