Suleyman the Magnificent

Survival of the cruellest in 16th-century Constantinople

15 March 2025 9:00 am

It was kill or be killed for the Ottoman sultan’s heirs in a bizarre succession ritual involving the ruthless culling of close relatives

Left: The main gate to the mighty citadel has withstood centuries of invasion. Now much scarred, it presides over a bombed-out city, including the wrecked medieval souq (above), until recently the world’s largest and most vibrant covered historic market and Unesco world heritage site

‘Excess is obnoxious’

5 March 2016 9:00 am

Justin Marozzi on the bitter irony of Aleppo’s ancient motto