AN ELEPHANTINE EFFORT
Tale of 16th-century Istanbul mixes architecture, mystery and history
It is difficult to imagine Istanbul without the stunning architecture that defines its historic skyline. The hills that rise up from the Bosphorus are crowned with domes in varying sizes and colors; four minarets — the number allowed only to a mosque endowed by a Sultan — surround the imposing Suleymaniye, or the Blue Mosque.
With architecture as its central motif, Elif Shafak’s novel “The Architect’s Apprentice” is a gripping page-turner that blends mystery with Ottoman history and Turkish folklore, combining the great heights of the Ottoman Sultanate with the desolation of poverty, war, imprisonment and the plight of the nomad.
Elif Shafak, who has been described as a “writer on the edge of her culture,” is not afraid to confront difficult questions. Ms. Shafak has penned notable fiction such as “The Bastard of Istanbul,” about the Armenian genocide, for which she was prosecuted for “insulting Turkishness.” Her nonfiction work “Black Milk” is a meditation on the conflicting demands of writing, motherhood and creativity.
Her 10th book follows the career of Mimar Sinan, the Royal Architect to the Ottoman Sultans during the 16th century and mastermind behind the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia renovation, and countless mosques, hospitals, schools and aqueducts.
At the center of the novel is a beautiful white elephant who, Ms. Shafak imagines, not only assisted in the construction of architectural feats, but provided occasional transportation to the Royal Architect and even the Sultan himself.
The story is told through the point of view of one of Sinan’s apprentices, Jahan. Jahan tells everybody that he came from India to Istanbul on a boat in order to flee an abusive stepfather, but speaks fluent Turkish and no Indian language. A sickly baby elephant in the ship’s hold captivates the young man, a gift from the Shah of India to Sultan Suleiman. When the ship lands in Istanbul, Jahan is the elephant’s mahout, or caretaker, the fate of the real mahout a dark mystery.
The elephant, named Chota, paves Jahan’s entry into Topkapi Palace, where he meets the Sultan’s daughter Mihrimah and impresses Sinan so much with his intelligence, observation, and skill that he becomes his apprentice, but not before falling madly in love with the Princess, regaling her with fanciful, fictitious, stories of India.
Chota is central to this story about Istanbul architecture, helping to haul heavy building material, or assisting on the construction sites in other ways. Sinan is avuncular toward his four apprentices, and seems to nurture each one individually. The master philosophizes that “architecture is a conversation with God,” being mindful to leave a visible mark of imperfection — a cracked tile in a perfectly laid mosaic — in each building, to demonstrate humility before God.
When accidents start happening on the building sites, Jahan acknowledges that Sinan might have enemies who wish him harm, but doesn’t stop to ponder why. Jahan, part of a delegation sent to meet Michelangelo in Italy, is mysteriously robbed of a precious letter and book from the Italian master, imprisoned, and left to rot.
Jahan is warned never to trust a gypsy, but time and again, the gypsies, led by the fearless Balaban, save the day, helping both the elephant and his caretaker on multiple occasions.
The climax of the novel comes when Jahan realizes that people and things are not what they seem; readers intrinsically know that the narrator isn’t, either.
Is Sinan a kind, trustworthy master, or treacherous and not to be trusted? Davud, another apprentice, rails against Sinan after his death: “I loved him like a father. A father in the wrong. A great architect. But a coward. Never uttered a word against cruelty. Or injustice. ... All he wanted to do was build. ... Where do the resources come from? Another war. Another slaughter. Did he mind? He didn’t care for anything else.”
Some of the novel’s mysteries are not woven through the novel all the way, and some themes are introduced, but left un- or underdeveloped. Ms. Shafak introduced supernatural elements to the novel toward the end, which felt like an abrupt change in the novel’s flow.
Despite these issues, “The Architect’s Apprentice” is an exquisitely realized historical yarn of the 16th-century Ottoman Empire. When people and events are not as they seem, it may just be the case that the only things we can truly count on are the solid buildings beneath our feet.