Sixteenth century Istanbul: a stowaway arrives in the city bearing an extraordinary gift for the Sultan. The boy is utterly alone in a foreign land, with no worldly possessions to his name except Chota, a rare white elephant destined for the palace menagerie.

Filled with all the colour of the Ottoman Empire, when Istanbul was the teeming centre of civilisation, The Architect's Apprentice is a magical, sweeping tale of one boy and his elephant caught up in a world of wonder and danger. "A gorgeous picture of a city teeming with secrets, intrigue and romance." (The Times). "Shafak's most ambitious novel yet her best - generous and imaginative." (Independent). "Exuberant, epic and comic, fantastical and realistic...like all good stories it conveys deeper meanings about human experience." (Financial Times). "Fascinating. A vigorous evocation of the Ottoman Empire at the height of its power." (Sunday Times). "Intricate, multi-layered, resplendent, vividly evoked, beautifully written." (Observer). "Sumptuous, absorbing, moving." (Independent on Sunday).