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Ottoman Empire

hah Abbas I of Persia and his page boy interacting and sharing wine, circa 1627. Public Domain.

Life of a Male Concubine in the Ottoman Empire (Video)

Male concubines in the Ottoman Empire were symbols of wealth, power, and masculinity. These young men, chosen for their looks and talents, served the sultan and his court in various roles. The...
A Sultan of the Ottoman Empire having a feast. Source: AI generated.

How a Sultan of the Ottoman Empire Dined (Video)

Ottoman sultans , including the illustrious Suleiman the Magnificent, held a profound appreciation for culinary extravagance. The kitchens of the Topkapi Palace , during the 16th century, teemed with...
16th century depiction of the notorious pirate Hayreddin Barbarossa, known as Redbeard. Source: Public domain

Causing a Ruckus as the Ruthless Pirate Hayreddin Redbeard

Hayreddin Barbarossa, also known as Redbeard, was one of the most notorious pirates of his day. Together with his older brothers, Ishak and Aruj, they conquered the North African city of Algiers and...
Ishak Pasha Palace, Turkey. Source: MehmetOZB / Adobe Stock.

Ishak Pasha Palace: Turkey’s Monument of the Ottoman Empire (Video)

Nestled amidst the remote hills of Doğubayazıt in eastern Turkey, the Ishak Pasha Palace stands as a captivating blend of cultures and architectural prowess. Constructed by the Pasha family over a...
Vlad III, known as Vlad the Impaler. Source: byerenyerli / Adobe Stock.

Terror of Wallachia: The Reign of Vlad the Impaler (Video)

The name " Dracula " immediately brings to mind images of a bloodthirsty vampire , but the true story of the man behind the myth is just as chilling. Vlad III, also known as Vlad Tepes or Vlad the...
The abandoned and earthquake-damaged ruins of Kayakoy have become a tourist attraction. Source: Nullplus / Adobe Stock

Kayakoy: An Abandoned Ghost Town Opens For Tourismi

Since the beginning of time, cities have been built and abandoned for countless reasons. War, famine, drought, and more have led communities to flee and relocate to regions that better suit their...
Athens at sunset. Source: gatsi / Adobe Stock

Athens, Home of Democracy: From Antiquity to Modernity

We often think of ancient Athens as being the home of democracy, the place where it all started. And this is true. But the shocking truth is that Athens has spent the vast majority of its existence...
The Erechtheion temple on the Athens acropolis with the six “mistaken” Ottoman harem caryatids on the right side a bit back from the front of the temple.		Source: Jebulon / CC0

The Erechtheion Temple of the Acropolis Was Not a Harem After All!

The Greek term “ karyatides ” means “maidens of Karyai,” which was an ancient town on the Peloponnese in southern Greece. A “ caryatid ” is a sculpted female figure that forms an architectural...
Sign Language Only in the Topkapi Palace of Suleiman!

Sign Language Only in the Topkapi Palace of Suleiman!

Almost everyone at the Istanbul Topkapi Palace was a slave, but this is not the only curious attribute the palace had when ruled by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. Everyone was forced to learn and...
Stash of 7,000 Coins Found in Hungary, Revealing Story of National Trauma

Stash of 7,000 Coins Found in Hungary, Revealing Story of National Trauma

A recent post from a Hungarian museum curator on Facebook tells of the discovery of “rare treasures of magnitude,” relating to the Turkish devastation following the Battle of Mohács. The news...
Archaeologists Discover a Huge Stash of Medieval Coins in Hungary

Archaeologists Discover a Huge Stash of Medieval Coins in Hungary

Ongoing excavations at a rural spot near the village of Újlengyel in central Hungary recently struck gold, both figuratively and literally. Archaeologists armed with powerful metal detectors found a...
The Piraeus Lion of Venice: Runes and Roaming from Greece to Italy

The Piraeus Lion of Venice: Runes and Roaming from Greece to Italy

Some ancient artifacts travel from where they were first made to become symbols of other foreign lands. This is certainly the story of the Piraeus Lion. The Piraeus Lion is a marble lion displayed in...
Vlad the Impaler as Dracula

Vlad the Impaler: The Real Count Dracula?

In 1897, Bram Stoker, an Irish writer, wrote a novel called Dracula , which has since become one of the classics of the Gothic horror genre. Despite the fact that Dracula is a fictional character,...
Representation of a powerful wife of a Turkish Sultan

Kosem Sultan - The Last Influential Female Ruler of the Ottoman Empire

Kosem Sultan was a woman who refused to be just another widow on the Ottoman court - instead she became a real ruler of the empire. Her decisions made such an impact, that after her death noblemen in...
Ottoman Warrior. Credit: ahmetnkececi / Adobe Stock

The Ottoman Empire: 600 Years of Domination

The Ottoman Empire was one of history’s largest and longest-lasting empires. It was founded around the end of the 13th / beginning of the 14th century and lasted for about six centuries. The empire...
The tower where the looting tunnel was discovered. It is actually much bigger than this and more needs to be uncovered.        Source: Plovdiv Museum of Archaeology

Burying A Thracian Tower-Tomb In A Huge Mound Didn’t Deter Ottoman Grave Robbers!

Bulgaria is a land that is blessed with a great many important historic and archaeological sites. However, in recent years much of the heritage of the country has been systematically stolen by...
Sultan Mahmud II (Public Domain), and ornament from a Janissary's Cap, 17th century Turkey

Ultimatum from the Sultan to the Powerful Janissary Military - Change… Or Die! Guess what they Chose? The Auspicious Event—Part II

A force of disciplined, elite royal guards of the 15th and 16th century Ottoman Empire grew in size by seizing Christian children and raising them as civil servants and dangerous soldiers. The...
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk wearing the traditional Janissary uniform (Public Domain), and ornament from a Janissary's Cap, 17th century Turkey

The Powerful & Dangerous Janissaries and the Secret Plan to Destroy Them: The Auspicious Event—Part I

The Janissaries ( yeni-cheri , or “new troops”) were a small elite branch established by the Ottoman military sometime around the 14th century by Orhan Ghazi, second bey (chieftain), of the Ottoman...
Eliminating the Competition: Selim I, A Grim Conqueror Who Vastly Extended the Ottoman Empire

Eliminating the Competition: Selim I, A Grim Conqueror Who Vastly Extended the Ottoman Empire

Selim I (known also by his epithet ‘Yavuz’, which, translated from Turkish, means ‘the Grim’) was the 9th sultan of the Ottoman Empire who lived during the second half of the 15th century and the...
Rest Like an Egyptian: Lifting the Lid on the Elaborate Phoenician Tabnit Sarcophagus

Rest Like an Egyptian: Lifting the Lid on the Elaborate Phoenician Tabnit Sarcophagus

There is a remarkable sarcophagus that many tourists mistake for an elaborate ancient Egyptian creation. The perception is understandable as this kind of burial is often related to the rulers who...
Main: Battle of a French ship of the line and two galleys of the Barbary/Ottoman corsairs. Inset: An Ottoman pirate.

Aruj Barbarossa: Most Notorious Pirate of the Barbary Corsairs

Aruj Barbarossa, known also in Turkish as Oruc Reis, is one of the most notorious pirates in history. He lived between the 15th and 16th centuries, and was one of the most well-known Barbary corsairs...
Following the Magical Journey to Poland by John Dee and Edward Kelley

Following the Magical Journey to Poland by John Dee and Edward Kelley

For centuries, Poland has been considered a very Christian country. However, over the ages some of the rulers of Poland still searched for supernatural support. The belief in the power of witchcraft...
Rosa Solymanni uxor. (16th century).

Hurrem Sultan, the Cheerful Rose of Suleiman I and a Powerful Woman of the Ottoman Empire

Hürrem Sultan appeared in Topkapi Palace as a slave, but in a very short time she became one the most influential women of the Ottoman Empire . The name Hürrem was given her by the Sultan Suleiman I...
Suleiman the Magnificent

Long-Lost Tomb Belonging to Suleiman the Magnificent Believed to be Found

When Suleiman the Magnificent died —once one of the most powerful and longest-reigning rulers of the Ottoman Empire— it is said his heart and body were separated and buried in two secret locations...

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