The Sultanate of Women is a fascinating period of time in Ottoman history. It started in approximately 1533, when Suleiman the Magnificent married the love of his life - Hürrem Sultan. It ended in 1683, with the death of Turhan Hatice Sultan.
WHAT IS THE SULTANATE OF WOMEN?
The Sultanate of Women was the time when wives and mothers of sultans ruled the ...
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Istanbul
The Topkapi Palace - imperial court and centre of the Ottoman power for 375 years - is possibly the most famous of all Ottoman heritage in Istanbul. Approximately 30 sultans ruled the empire from there. The palace is a huge complex, meticulously designed to protect, but also to impress. Sultans lived there in the utmost Ottoman imperial opulence, together with their families and concubines.
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Without any doubt, Topkapi Palace is probably the most famous of all Ottoman heritage in Istanbul. Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror commissioned its construction shortly after the conquest of Constantinople in 1453. It was an imperial court and residence of Ottoman sultans and their families for 375 years. Sultan Abdülmecid I moved the court to the Dolmabahçe Palace in 1856. Certainly, it's a magnificent ...
Ottoman fountains are a prominent feature of the Ottoman heritage in Istanbul. Monumental imperial mosques, historically and architecturally significant, dominate areas in which they were constructed. But, the fountains are equally historically and artistically important.
In Islam, water is the origin of life, created by God. It purifies the human being, both on the outside and spiritually on the ...
The Ottoman army conquered Constantinople in 1453. The Ottoman sultanate was abolished in 1922. The city of Constantinople or Istanbul, as it is now called, was under the Ottoman rule for 469 years. Consequently, the Ottoman heritage in Istanbul is enormous and it spreads over many centuries - from the beginning of the Ottoman rule to the establishment of the modern Turkish republic. Of all Ottoman ...
Of all Ottoman heritage in Istanbul, the monumental Ottoman imperial mosques are the most important and surely the most visible.
The biggest and the most impressive complexes are from the 16th and the 17th century, although the mosques built in the 18th and the 19th century are equally significant and beautiful.
OTTOMAN IMPERIAL MOSQUES
These magnificent ...
OTTOMAN IMPERIAL MOSQUES
These magnificent ...
I mentioned in my previous post that one reason why I like Istanbul is because of its history and historical sites. Certainly, firstly known as Byzantium and then Constantinople, it was the centre of power and capital city of various empires for almost 16 centuries. But, the Ottoman legacy and monuments are the most visible today, although several structures older than 1000 years are still there, such as ...
Why do I like Istanbul? I've been thinking about the answer to this question over the past several weeks. I was in Istanbul for a week, three weeks ago. I was in Istanbul six times before. The first time, it was in December 2002 and the last visit, before the current one, was in June 2015.
My memories from the initial visit are very vague. But, I remember that I was fascinated and that I wanted to go ...
I am currently travelling across Turkey. My trip started in magnificent Istanbul. I've been to Istanbul six times before. However, this time I decided to spend a week there and to explore the city in more detail. I have already seen the most important sites during my past visits.
But, Istanbul is so full of history that there is always something new to discover.
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In my previous article - Back in Riccione - I mentioned that the main reason for my recent travel to Italy was to attend my friend's 50th birthday party. A month before that, my friend's brother asked me to send him some photos of places that my friend and I visited together. He wanted to make a photo album, a retrospective of my friend's life. It was a wonderful idea, to step back in time and to revisit ...