A Prophecy- The Siege of Constantinople

About The Editors

Arsalaan Akhtar , a thirteen-year-old boy who resides in Mumbai and studies in VIBGYOR High School, Malad. He has been interested in Turko-Indian history since 2018 and loves to research on historical topics. He has been studying about the Ottoman Empire since 2020. His interest in the House of Osman arose not only because of the sheer size of its empire but also because of its magnificent culture and beautiful architecture. Previously, in September 2024, his first book (on the effects of the Iranian Revolution) got published. His writing has earned him acclaim from teachers and readers alike. He is a linguaphile and is fluent in Hindi, Urdu, English and French. He is also learning Marathi, Arabic and Turkish.

About The Book

The Siege of Constantinople was a turning point in history. It marked the beginning of an era where the Turks were the sole masters of Eastern Europe. It marked the beginning of the so-called ‘Age of Discovery’ and also indirectly resulted in the era of colonialism. Some modern historians refer to the siege as the ‘Fall of Constantinople’; others prefer to call it the ‘Capture of Constantinople’. Rarely do you see someone calling the siege, the ‘Conquest of Constantinople’. This may or may not be because of the fact that in most cases, the Western point of view is widely accepted and the Eastern point of view is seen as a story with no historical significance, but we are not here to talk about that. In this book, the author will be explaining the events of the siege, the prelude to this event and the aftermath of the siege. This book is a result of four years of research, which started from a book in 2020 and ended with the author's visit to the city itself in 2024.