Inspired by true events, 'The Blue Hour' is a story of political intrigue and doomed love set in the dying days of the Ottoman Empire during the summer of 1876. All prince Hamid and the glove-maker, Flora Cordier, want is to live, and pursue their f...
The founder of the House of Osman established a dynasty which was maintained in an unbroken line by thirty-six descendants, lasting for nearly six and a half centuries.
The myth of the inception of the dynasty goes something like this. Osman had a dream in which he saw a tree growing from his navel, with its branches spreading to cover the entire world. The tree's leaves were shaped like swords, and its roots extended to the ground, connecting the three continents of Asia, Europe, and Africa. From the tree's roots, four rivers flowed: the Tigris, Euphrates, Nile, and Danube. A wind blew, directing the swords to Constantinople.
This dream was seen as a divine prophecy and a legitimization of the Ottoman dynasty's rule. It provided a mythical foundation for the empire and inspired the Ottomans to expand their territory and influence. It might also explain the loyalty of the Sultan's subjects to the dynasty: to them, the empire and the dynasty were inextricably intertwined.
The embedded image is of Osman I (born c. 1258—died 1324 or 1326). Below, the thirty-six descendants, with AbdulHamid third from the bottom right corner.
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