Ottoman Court

Once upon a time when Africans wielded power in the Ottoman Empire

As part of a series, TRT World explores stories of fascinating African personalities who have been largely ignored. From playing soccer in Turkey today to managing the Ottoman court and palace in the distant past, they go back a long way.

In Pictures: Holy Relics of Prophet Mohammed exhibited in Topkapi Palace

Muslim Caliphs almost always wanted to keep the holy relics of Prophet Mohammed close to where they ruled. In the end, the Ottoman rulers brought them to Istanbul, where the Turkish government safeguards them in the historic Topkapi Palace.

Leonardo da Vinci and the Ottoman Empire

Five hundred years after his death, Leonardo da Vinci’s interaction with the Ottomans is memorialised in his designs for a bridge and his overtures to the Ottoman Sultans of the time.