SHORTLISTED FOR THE STANFORD DOLMAN TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEARAlev Scotts odyssey began when she looked beyond Turkeys borders for contemporary traces of the Ottoman Empire Their 800year rule ended a century ago and yet travelling through twelve countries from Kosovo to Greece to Palestine she uncovers a legacy thats vital and relevant where medieval ethnic diversity meets 21st century nationalism and displaced people seek new identitiesIts a story of surprises An acolyte of Erdogan in Christianmajority Serbia confirms the widereaching appeal of his authoritarian leadership A Druze warlord explains the secretive religious faction in the heart of the Middle East The palimpsestlike streets of Jerusalems Old Town hint at the Ottoman coexistence of Muslims and Jews And in Turkish Cyprus Alev Scott rediscovers a childhood home In every community history is present as a dynamic forceFaced by questions of exile diaspora and collective memory Alev Scott searches for answers from the cafes of Beirut to the refugee camps of Lesbos She uncovers in Erdogans nouveauOttoman Turkey a version of the nostalgic utopias sold to disillusioned voters in Europe and the US And yet as she relates with compassion insight and humour diversity is the enduring endangered heart of this fascinating region