The Architect's Apprentice

This 450+ pager fiction (or magic realism) by Elif Shafak is set in Istanbul, Turkey of 16th century and has peripheral touch of Agra, India.? The story starts with arrival of a baby elephant, named Chota in Istanbul, a gift to the Sultan of Ottoman Empire by the Emperor of India. Along with Chota, a boy named Jahan, the elephant tamer from India, makes way to menagerie of the Sultan’s palace. The Sultan’s daughter frequently visits Chota and gets a glance of Jahan, who starts imagining life of palace. Chota along with Jahan is engaged in Sultan’s war campaign and during those adventures, Sinan, the Chief Architect, accepts Jahan as one of his four apprentices. Thus, Jahan’s dual role as caretaker of Chota and Sinan’s apprentice starts he put his heart and sole in both. In one of the campaigns, the Sultan dies and Jahan and Chota play an important role in transfer of titleship to the son of Sultan. Jahan is put into prison as part of the royal conspiracy; however, he comes out eventually. The one-upmanship among apprentices entangled with the royal conspiracy plays part in life of Jahan and the Architect Jahan moves to Agra and gets engaged in construction of the Taj Mahal in Agra. In between, there are several twists and turns in the identity of apprentices, the life of Sultan’s daughter and her caretakers, etc. The life of an elephant through Chota, the bond between human and animal through several animals at menagerie and their caretakers, especially Chota and Jahan, nitty-gritties of architecture, society in 16th century Istanbul including famous buildings and life in palace are important part of this book. Istanbul was hit by plague, pandemic and the sufferings of population, carcasses, hospitals and initial camaraderie changing to revenge against each other described in detail and it appears as description of the recent Covid-19 and its impact across the world.

This fiction/magic realism is written lucidly and the story has been told at a convenient pace i.e. neither too fast nor too slow. The philosophical touch of Elif’s trademark writing has plenty to reflect such as the three fountains of learning are book, work and road i.e. study, job and travel to experience with a simile that stone stays still while a learner never. The nuts and bolts of architecture is described lucidly across the book e.g. The face is the fa?ade, the eyes are the windows, the mouth is the door that opens into the universe. The legs and the arms are the staircases.? The human aspect has been also captured throughout the book as the writer sees wrinkles as calligraphy inked by time. It mentions decisions as sheep, while habits as shepherd. The powerful description of each scene coupled with some suspense will keep a reader engaged and on the edge.?

Together with seamless integration of several historical characters and monuments such as Mimar Sinan, the famous architect, the Hagia Sophia and the Taj Mahal, in the story and the writer’s powerful description, this fiction/magic realism is nothing less than a cinematic experience. It is a must read for those who are looking forward to a book which has a grand canvas with vivid details and provides a sneak peek into life in 16th century Istanbul, elephant and caretaker bondage, palace conspiracies and principles of architecture.