Ottomans ride into East London0

Yesterday I went to the preview of Maslaha's excellent new exhibition about the life and travels of 17th century Ottoman, Evliya Celebi, a pious Muslim, musician, explorer and storyteller. Through his eyes, the exhibition explores the ways in which the Ottomans shaped and influenced London and the rest of Europe through music, medecine, art, architecture and coffee.

It's an eclectic collection, bringing together the Khalili art collection, music (that was especially composed for the exhibition) from the Royal Academy of Music, award winning film maker Suki Chan, Mercan Dede, an international Turkish Sufi popstar, as well as leading academics of Ottoman history. The exhibition will only be open until Saturday 15th May and then it's going to be turned into a virtual exhibition with additional podcasts, music and images and launched on 1st June.

Interestingly also, the exhibition is taking place in Bethnal Green Library, where Samuel Pepys, a contemporary of Evliya Celebi, kept safe his diaries during the Great Fire of London.

The exhibition is part of the British Council's Our Shared Europe Project which seeks to acknowledge the contribution of Islamic Communities and cultures - both in the past but also in the present - to the shaping of contemporary European civilisation and society, It was all organised by Maslaha and curated by Effusion.

To find out more about the exhibition visit: www.thebookoftravels.org