William Turner (1792 - 1867)

William Turner

William Turner was a British diplomat and writer.

For five years, beginning in 1812, Turner was attached to the British Embassy in Constantinople, from where he traveled to Egypt, the Holy Land, Albania, Turkey, Greece, and the Greek Islands. In his diary he noted local manners, customs, and costumes, and described a meeting with Ali Pasha (1740-1822), the ruler of Ottoman Albania. Turner's travel narratives include images engraved from early Turkish drawings in the author's collection. He published this diary in 1820 under the title Journal of a Journey through the Levant. During his travels, Turner also amassed a large collection of ancient coins.