The Queen's Reading Room

The Architect’s Apprentice

By Elif Shafak

A mesmerising, beautifully written and magical book which is part fact, part fiction set during the height of the Ottoman Empire.
~ Her Majesty Queen Camilla
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Featured in: Season 1

Publish Date: 2013

Set in 16th century Istanbul, the novel follows the adventures of a boy of humble origins who arrives in the city with a wonderful gift for the sultan, a rare white elephant. On the back of his loyal companion, the boy will venture on a journey to the furthest corners of the kingdom, where the fortuitous encounter with Sinan, the royal architect, will change his life.

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The Architect’s Apprentice
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Elif Shafak
On Solitude and the Power of Storyland
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On Learning from Travelling
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On Writing The Architect’s Apprentice
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On Commute Between Languages as Freedom

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The Architect’s Apprentice

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