"Long before they came as occupiers, the British were drawn to the Middle East by the fabled riches of its trade and the enlightened tolerance of its people. The 'pashas' - merchants and travelers from Europe - discovered an Islamic world that was alluring, dynamic and diverse." "Ranging across two and a half centuries and through the great cities of Istanbul, Aleppo and Alexandria, James Mather tells the forgotten story of the men of the Levant Company who sought their fortunes in the Ottoman Empire. Their trade brought to the region not only merchants but ambassadors and envoys, pilgrims and chaplains, families and servants, aristocratic tourists and roving antiquarians. Together, their lives provide a fascinating insight into the meeting of East and West before the age of European imperialism."--BOOK JACKET.