Spies, Scandals, and Sultans is the first English translation of a fascinating and acidly critical portrait of the Ottoman capital of Istanbul during the days of the Sultan Abd al-Hamid. This is the first time that the text, written by an Egyptian journalist and politician, has been available since 1896. The text of the Arabic original is prefaced with an extensive introduction in which the author's life is discussed and the highly controversial contents of the book are contextualized and evaluated for their accuracy against other contemporary accounts of life in the Ottoman capital.

Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Concerning the circumstances of the Ottoman Sultanate Chapter 3 Almabayn Chapter 4 The Chief Secretary's Department in Almabayn Chapter 5 The Almabaynjiyya Department in Almabayn Chapter 6 The Department of the Chief Eunuch in Almabayn Chapter 7 The Department of the Yavaran in Almabayn Chapter 8 Spies Chapter 9 Anniversary of the Sultan's Accession Chapter 10 Spies (II) Chapter 11 Splendor of the Caliphate and Magnificence of the Sultanate Chapter 12 Appointment to Ottoman offices Chapter 13 Court Proceedings in Istanbul Chapter 14 Shaykhs Chapter 15 Writing Ma Hunalik Chapter 16 The Sultan Chapter 17 Deposition of Sultans Chapter 18 Glossary