Sultan Mehmed II, the Conqueror, was born in Edirne and managed to change the course of history and raise the Ottoman country to the rank of empire. He spent his childhood and youth in Amasya, and then the qualities of a manager were established in him.
Since childhood, Mehmed was surrounded by the best teachers and mentors. He received an excellent education and mastered several languages, including Latin, Arabic, Persian, Greek, and a little Serbian.
According to some accounts, the young man skilfully read Plutarch’s works in the original. The boy showed an eagerness for various sciences, but above all his curious mind was occupied with mathematical, astronomical, geographical, and philosophical sciences.
Mehmed II, on ascending the throne, issued an order to drown the only remaining candidate for the title of head of state – his own brother, who was only 3 years old at the time. Yet this tradition was the norm for the Ottomans. The young ruler actively developed his country.
He set up a government and appointed it Port (later the empire itself was unofficially named). Mehmed also became a legislator, creating an entirely new set of laws (qanun) based on sayings from the Quran.
The educated padishah fully understood the importance of educating his people and actively built educational institutions where young people were taught various sciences: philosophy, grammar, logic, jurisprudence, and, of course, religion.
A key role for the shrine Sultan Mehmet used his personal riches to buy the Hagia Sophia property before transforming it into a Masjid when he overthrew the Byzantine Empire in 1453 at the age of 21. (Mosque). The Turkish Museum still has the transaction’s specifics on file. This is the main justification for the court’s decision to re-convert Aya Sofya into a mosque.
As a result, Sultan Mehmet, the conqueror of Constantinople, deserves all the praise for buying the church and later establishing a waqf (endowment). Kemal Ataturk’s choice could not have been overturned legally if it weren’t for his intelligence.
When praying at Aya Sophiya, all Muslims should offer a prayer for Sultan Mehmet.
Last modified: October 25, 2022