Travels into Turkey Containing the most accurate account of the Turks, and neighbouring nations, their manners, customs, religion, superstition, policy, riches, coins, &c.

"Travels into Turkey" by Ogier Ghislain de Busbecq is a historical account written in the mid-16th century. This work provides a detailed chronicle of the author's experiences and observations during his travels through the Ottoman Empire, focusing particularly on the customs, politics, and societies of the Turks and neighboring nations. At the start of the narrative, Busbecq relates his preparations and anticipation for a journey to Constantinople and Amasia as an ambassador for the Emperor Ferdinand. He reflects on his former experiences and conversations with Malvezius, a predecessor who succumbed to illness, and details the political intricacies surrounding his own appointment. As Busbecq sets out, he vividly describes his encounters with Turkish officials, providing insights into the social customs and political structures of the time, while his tone remains both personal and observant, blending anecdotal storytelling with keen observations of the cultural landscape he traverses. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq, sometimes Augier Ghislain de Busbecq, was a 16th-century Flemish writer, herbalist and diplomat in the employ of three generations of Austrian monarchs. He served as ambassador to the Ottoman Empire in Constantinople and in 1581 published a book about his time there, Itinera Constantinopolitanum et Amasianum, re-published in 1595 under the title of Turcicae epistolae or Turkish Letters. His letters also contain the only surviving word list of Crimean Gothic, a Germanic dialect spoken at the time in some isolated regions of Crimea. He is credited with the introduction of tulips into Western Europe and to the origin of their name.