Book review: The Sultan’s Organ, by Jonathan Gaythorne-Hardy
The Levant Company was formed in the latter part of Elizabeth I’s reign to trade with the Ottoman Empire. Favour and accreditation were required, not easy and very expensive to secure. No business could be done without gifts; anyone who has had commercial dealings in Saudi Arabia will be likely to say “nothing has changed”. So if the all-powerful Sultan was to grant concessions to the Levant Company, Queen Elizabeth must send him a gift, the more impressive the better.