Gokuyum, I read your post. I have no patience now. Not in mood to reply at the moment.

3)We dont worship a moon God. We worship same God of Christians. God of Jesus, Moses, David and etc...

gökuyum

There is little doubt that Islam, Christianity and Judaism agree that there is only one god; most also agree that the god mentioned in all three books are the same (Note: There are some who does not agree with the latter part).

That is, La ilahe illallah seems to be mutually shared, with no excessive problems. The problem starts when Islam adds Muhammeden Resulallah. While Quran recognizes, respects and honors Moses and Christ (and many others) as God´s ambassadors, the preceeding faiths find it hard to accept Muhammed as a prophet. which is a corner stone in Islamic faith.

Future for humanity will look much better if you can get Pope to agree that Muhammed is God´s prophet. I dont see see how any reconciliation between religions can otherwise come to life.

Bu ne sessizlik?

Cemaatdan kimse yok mu?

You are talking to yourself, Alpha?

As long as I have been married to a Muslim, I see very little similarities between our two faiths.  God must have a great sense of humor to send us 3 different books that are all the truth, the way, the ONLY PATH TO SALVATION (the Torah, the Bible and the Koran).  It makes it more confusing to believe they are the same...Just saying...So, about Istanbul...

http://istanbulungazetesi.com/haber_detay.asp?haberID=1504

Fatihin İstanbulu fethi

I thought I read a newspaper column. It turned out to be the exact Vikipedi text copy pasted to their site. No one even bothered to separate the headlines from the text. Maybe it’s better if they understand not to write themselves.

Anyway.

The article describes the crucial days and weeks before and after May 29, 1453 when the Ottomans finally conquered Istanbul. Constantinopole of Byzantine had lived under Ottoman pressure for a long time but with the support of Europe it had survived many attempts and many sultans. Until the 21-year-old Mehmed II.

The sultan spent months preparing for the conquest. Cannons were developed, roads were built strong enough to carry heavy armour. The Rumelian Castle was built on the shore of Bosphorus opposite to the Anatolian Castle in order to ensure the encirclement of Constantinople. At the same time a peaceful solution was searched. This was the Sultan’s message to Constantine XI Palaiologos:

“Padişahım Murad Han oğlu Mehmed Han, şehri kayıtsız şartsız teslim etmenizi ister. Şayet şehri teslim ederseniz kimsenin burnu kanamayacaktır. Bütün maiyetinizle dilediğiniz yere gitmekte serbest olacaksınız. Dinimiz, karşı koymayan düşmana iyi muamaele etmeyi emreder.” Sultan Murad’s son Mehmed wants the city to surrender unreserved and unconditionally. If you surrender the city no one will have even a nosebleed. You will be free to go to any place you wish with your escort. Our religion orders to treat well those enemies who don’t oppose.

(Rumelian Castle)

There was no way to avoid the war. The most difficult part for the Ottoman army was entering the Golden Horn. An innovative solution was used: 

Mehmed, donanmanın karadan yürütülüp Haliç´e indirilebileceğni belirtti. Mehmed told that the navy will be taken to the Golden Horn walking over dry land.

(painting by Fausto Zonaro)

The fighting was bloody. The city was circled with a wall and there were other horrors also:

“Sel gibi kan akıttık. Elbette bunun bedeli ağırdır. Şehir iyi korunuyor. Lağımlarımızı anında haber alıp patlatıyorlar. Büyük kulelerimizi yakıyorlar. Üstümüze kaynar katran döküyorlar. Macar ordusu ile Venedik donanmasının yolda olduğunu haber aldı. Üstümüze gelirler.” We have bled like a stream. Certainly the price of this is high. The city is well protected. They will make our mines explode as soon as they notice. They will destroy our great towers. They will pour boiling tar over us. They are told Hungarian army and Navy of Venice are on their way. They will come over us.

Preparing for the final fight was started by fasting and praying. Mehmed II personally took part in the war manouvres. Finally he rode into the city as “the Conqueror”.

Açılan gediklerin kapatılamaması ve Osmanlı ordusunun topyekün saldırısı karşısında Konstantinopolis, 29 Mayıs 1453 Salı günü II. Mehmed´in önderliğindeki Osmanlı birliklerine teslim oldu. Konstantinopolis´in alınması ile birlikte topların deldiği surlardan içeri giren II. Mehmed, halkın sevgi gösterisi ile karşılandı. Bu fetihten sonra II. Mehmed, Fatih unvanını aldı ve Fatih Sultan Mehmed olarak anılmaya başladı. In view of not being able to close the gaps that had been opened (in the city walls) and the total attack of the Ottoman army, on Tuesday May 29, 1453 Constantinopole surrendered to the Ottoman units which were led by Mehmed II. Sultan Mehmed entered through the walls which had been pierced by the cannons while Constantinopole was conquered. He met the people’s expressions of love. After this victory Mehmed II took the title Conqueror and from now on he was called Mehmed the Conqueror.

http://haber5.com/kultursanat/bati-onu-deccal-olarak-gorurdu

Batı onu Deccal olarak görürdü

Fetih 1453 is one of the most popular Turkish movies of all times. It has made the personality of Mehmed II more interesting to masses. The Conqueror’s problem is there are a lot of stories about him both in Turkey and in the West but less critical information is available.

Bizim tarafta Fatih, mitolojik bir karakter gibi algılanıyor, batı ise Deccal olarak nitelendiriliyor. From our side Mehmed II is perceived as a mythological character, as for in the West he as been labelled as the Antichrist.

In this article, researchers and writers straighten some of the false ideas that people have about the Sultan and his achievements.

Mehmed the Conqueror may not have led prayers or generally been as religious as he is described in some sources, Istanbul may not have been as strong an opponent as the legend of the conquest in 1453 makes us believe but rather a retarded rural area with decreasing population, and the Western leaders including Constatine XI and the Pope were not necessarily as incapable and stupid as they are described in the entertaining movie.

Unutmayalım ki, Konstantin’i küçültmek, Fatih’i büyütmez; aksine onun büyüklüğünden de bir şeyler eksiltir. Let’s not forget that belittling Constatine doesn’t make the Conqueror any greater but the opposite happens: it lacks something from his greatness.

But historians seem to agree about two things:

1) Mehmet II was a great statesman. This was apparent especially at the time of the 54-day blockade which tired both Ottoman leaders and the army. The Conqueror was strong enough to unite his men for one more military attempt which finally opened Istanbul for them.

2) Mehmed II reconstructed the city of Istanbul. Mosques, madrasas, baths, covered bazaars, castles and citadels were built during his reign.

But yes, he was poisoned on his journey to Italy:

                  Fatih hastaydı ama hastalıktan değil zehirlenerek öldurüldü. The Conqueror                                  was sick but he didn´t die from illness but was poisoned.

http://yasam.bugun.com.tr/suikast-yapilmak-istenen-padisah-153707-haberi.aspx

İkinci Bâyezid´e suikast teşebbüsü

Osmanlı tarihinde suikast yapılmak istenen padişah kim?

Sultan Bayezid II Veli (reign 1481-1512) had the difficult job to lead his country between two such brilliant sultans as his father Mehmed II the Conqueror and his son Selim I the Grim. He led the country through difficult times and he didn’t actually do so bad.

Bayezid II had to fight for the throne with his brother Cem Sultan. This overshadowed the first years of his reign. Cem looked for allies both from Egypt mamelukes and the Pope in order to dethrone his brother but eventually with no success. Revolts in the Empire, trouble with dervish groups and even attempted assassination all made Bayezid’s era a difficult one.

Padişahın ölmesi ise Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’nu tam bir kaosa sürükleyebilirdi. İkinci Bâyezid’in birçok oğlu ve torunu olduğu için Osmanlı İmparatorluğu büyük bir taht kargaşasına  sürüklenecekti. Avrupa’da fırsat bekleyen Cem Sultan’ı kullanacak olan Hristiyanlar da bir Haçlı Seferi açabilirlerdi. The death of the Sultan would have driven Ottoman Empire into a chaos. The Ottoman Empire would have been dragged into a serious throne crisis because Bayezid II had many sons and grandsons. The Christians also might have started a Crusade using Cem Sultan, who was waiting for his chance in Europe.

But Bayezid II regularized the achievements of Mehmed II and even added to the Ottoman conquests. He is also remembered as the Sultan who saved the Muslim and Jewish population of Anladucia from inquisition. They say Bayezid was keen on scholarship and culture just like his father.

The end of the Sultan was not very glorious:

İkinci Bâyezid’in, Şehzade Ahmed’i tahta çıkarma teşebbüsü üzerine yeniçeriler isyan etti. Bu gelişme üzerine Şehzade Selim’i İstanbul’a çağıran İkinci Bâyezid, 24 Nisan 1512′de Osmanlı tahtından çekildi. Dimetoka’ya gitmek üzere yola çıkan İkinci Bâyezid yolda hastalanarak 21 Mayıs 1512′de öldü. The Janissary corps rose in rebellion because Bayezid tried to throne Prince Ahmed. As a result of this development Bayezid II was abdicated from the throne on April 24, 1512. He fell sick and died on the road after setting out on a journey to Didymoteicho on May 21, 1512.

http://historicalolaylar.blogcu.com/yavuz-sultan-selim-i-selim-1512-1520/2580374

The Sultan with the Earring

Selim I the Grim (1512-20 ) must have been a fascinating man. He was tall and broad-shouldered. He mastered swords, bow and arrow, horse-riding and wrestling. He was full of energy and knew how to inspire other people: even though he was known as a bad-tempered boss who often had his closest viziers killed the best forces of the country competed on the chance to work close to him.

Besides, there was also a humble side in Selim’s personality. He liked modest life. Maybe that’s why instead of resting in Istanbul palaces he spent his time on battle-fields and more than doubled the Ottoman land during his short reign:

Tarihçiler, Yavuz Sultan Selim´i sekiz yıla seksen yıllık iş sığdırmış büyük bir padişah olarak değerlendirdiler. Historians have valued Selim I the Grim as a great sultan who got the job of eighty years done in eight years.

During Sultan Selim’s reign the Ottoman empire spread from Anatolia to Egypt including the whole Middle East in between. Selim personally entered Cairo in a ceremony on January 24, 1517. He also called himself the Caliph of Islam and the Servant of the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina.

No matter how great the Empire, how powerful the man, penicilline hadn’t been invented yet.

22 Eylül 1520´de "Aslan Pençesi" denilen bir çıban yüzünden henüz 50 yaşında iken vefat etti. On September 22, 1520 he died of an abscess called “Lion’s paw” at the age of 50 years only.

http://sehr-istanbul.blogspot.com/2011/07/fatihin-ayasofyada-kldrdg-ilk-namazda.html

http://gizlenentarihimiz.blogspot.com/2009/06/fatih-sultan-mehmedin-ayasofya.html

http://www.haberturk.com/kultur-sanat/haber/739491-ayasofyanin-sirri-ne-galeri

Ayasofya’nın sırrı ne?

(One of Allah´s names ya Fattah ´Opener´ is forged in the knockers of Hafia Sofia doors.)

Hagia Sofia (from the Greek words meaning ‘Holy Wisdom’ ) is one of the greatest examples of Byzantine Architecture. It was initiated in 532 and it served as an Orthodox basilika until the day Ottomans conquered Istanbul. Mehmed the Conqueror converted the chuch into a mosque and serious consequences were predicted for the one who ever was going to change this order.

Bu sebeple, bu vakfiyeyi kim değiştirirse, Allah’ın, Peygamber’in, meleklerin, bütün yöneticilerin ve dahi bütün Müslümanların ebediyen laneti onun ve onların üzerine olsun, azapları hafiflemesin onların, haşr gününde yüzlerine bakılmasın. For this reason, if someone changes this charter, let the curse of Allah, the Prophet, angels, all leaders and all Muslims be upon him and them for ever more, let their punishment not get easier, let their faces not be looked at on Doomsday. 

As a mosque needs minarets they were built during the reign of Bayezid II and Selim II the Grim. The building has suffered from earthquakes many times during its history: even the great dome has collapsed once.

There is a legend told about the first Friday prayer in Hagia Sofia on June 1^st 1453. Mehmed II personally led the prayer. He interrupted the prayer thrice after reciting Allahu Akbar. Later he told he wanted to see Kaaba in front of him while praying but didn’t succeed in the beginning. Meanwhile, a learned man told how he saw a spiritual creature change the direction of Hagia Sofia so that the prayers were facing qiblah. The fingerprints of this man can still be seen in the wall.

In 1934 Mustafa Kemal Atatürk ordered Hagia Sofia to be changed into a museum.