May 29, 1453- Fall of Constantinople

Today is May 29, 1453 and Sultan Memed Fatih captured Istanbul after years of unsuccessful tries by Muslims from 674 AD.

Many Muslim leaders had wanted to capture Istanbul for themselves as Prophet Muhammed (SAW) once said: "Surely, Constantinople (Istanbul) will be conquered (by my community); how blessed the commander who will conquer it, and how blessed his army"- Hakim, 4.422; Bukhari, Tarikh al-Saghir, 139; I. Hanbal, 4.335

I doubt the authenticity, because I have not researched into it, but I will when i get time.

The Fall of Constantinople marked the end of the Byzantine Empire, which had lasted for nearly 1,500 years and helped fuel the Vatican strength and future dominance. The siege lasted for about 2 months (began on April 6) and witnessed a battle of attrition and clever military tactics from both sides. Many artifacts from the battle can still be seen today from museums all over the world. The history is quite long and Wikipedia gives a great synopsis en.wikipedia.org...

The fall of Constantinople marked a true turning point in history, in relations to Europe and the Muslim world and the repercussions it had in the years after.

There is also many great myths related to the siege:

It was said that the total lunar eclipse that occurred on May 22, 1453, represented a fulfillment of a prophecy of the city's demise.Four days later, the whole city was blotted out by a thick fog, a condition unknown in that part of the world in May. When the fog lifted that evening, a strange light was seen playing about the dome of the Hagia Sophia, and from the city walls lights were seen in the countryside to the West, far behind the Turkish camp. The light around the dome was interpreted by some as the Holy Spirit departing from the Cathedral, while there was a distant hope that the lights were the campfires of the troops of John Hunyadi who had come to relieve the city. A more scientific theory theorizes that the light was caused by the electrical weather phenomenon, St. Elmo's Fire. Another of them holds that two priests saying divine liturgy over the crowd disappeared into the cathedral's walls as the first Turkish soldiers entered. According to the legend, the priests will appear again on the day Constantinople returns to Christian hands. Another legend refers to the Marble King, Constantine XI, holding that, when the Ottomans entered the city, an angel rescued the emperor, turned him into marble and placed him in a cave under the earth near the Golden Gate, where he waits to be brought to life again (a variant of the sleeping hero legend)

maybe the lights were UFO's hehe

I myself have visited Turkey and can tell you Istanbul is an amazing metropolis displaying landmarks irrespective of your religion. Istanbul should be on the list of every ATS'er bucket list!