Un Turc à Paris, 1806-1811 Relation de voyage et de mission de Mouhib Effendi, ambassadeur extraordinaire du sultan Selim III (d'après un manuscrit autographe)

A dusty red‑leather case discovered among the stalls of the Grand Bazaar contained the handwritten account of a Turkish envoy who spent five years in Paris during the tumult of the early Napoleonic era. Sent by Sultan Selim III to offer congratulations on the emperor’s coronation, this ambassador‑extraordinary moved across Europe—Varna, Pesth, Bavaria—before arriving in the French capital, where he was tasked with delicate negotiations that would shape Ottoman‑French relations for years to come. His memoirs, rarely cited by historians, reveal a diplomat whose influence was far from marginal.

The narrative moves quickly from the bustling markets of Constantinople to the glittering salons of Paris, contrasting Ottoman customs of coffee‑filled greetings with the French habit of diving straight into business. He records opera performances, public festivities, and the everyday rhythms of Parisian life with a blend of curiosity and critical eye, while also detailing meetings with figures such as Talleyrand and the diplomatic choreography surrounding the alliance that sent General Sebastiani to Istanbul.

Listeners will find a vivid travelogue that doubles as a primary source on early‑19th‑century politics, offering a rare glimpse into how a foreign envoy perceived the cultural and political pulse of revolutionary France. The unfinished correspondence included at the end adds depth, showing how Ottoman strategy grappled with Napoleon’s ambitions in the east.