by Royal Ottoman Society | Feb 27, 2026 | Member Contributions
The Ottoman Empire’s relationship with Africa represents one of the most complex and often misunderstood chapters in both African and Islamic history. Contrary to simplistic narratives that paint the Ottomans as inherently racist, a closer examination reveals a...
by Royal Ottoman Society | Feb 25, 2026 | Member Contributions
Written by Ehtesamul Hoque In the winter of 1299, the story of an empire began not with the clash of swords, but with the hollow, resonant thrum of a single drum. When the Seljuk Sultan Alaeddin Kayqubad III sent a tabl and a horsetail standard to Osman Gazi, it was...
by Royal Ottoman Society | Feb 25, 2026 | Member Contributions
Written by: Hannah Babar Mubarak Turkish coffee is often seen as a drink, but it is better described as a practice influenced by time and tradition. Its preparation is careful, serving follows specific rules, and consumption is rarely rushed. From its early arrival in...
by Royal Ottoman Society Society | Feb 23, 2026 | Member Contributions
For many centuries, Thessaloniki was not merely a city with a Jewish population; it was a Jewish city in the fullest sense of the word. Long before modern ideas of minority rights or multiculturalism, it stood as a rare example of a European urban center whose...
by Royal Ottoman Society | Feb 19, 2026 | Member Contributions
When we look at the food of modern Turkey and its neighbours, we are really seeing the history of the Ottoman Empire on a plate. For hundreds of years, this vast empire brought together people from the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and the Balkans. As these cultures...
by Royal Ottoman Society Society | Feb 13, 2026 | Member Contributions
written by Ehtesamul Hoque The year 1258 arrived quietly, yet it changed the direction of history. In Baghdad, the lamps of knowledge that had burned for centuries were extinguished. The city that once gathered scholars, travelers, and seekers of faith fell into...