The Hejaz Railway: Ottoman Ambition, Arab Revolt, and Imperial Collapse

The Ottoman Empire's Last Envoy: Bekir Sami Kunduh at Lausanne

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the role of Bekir Sami Bey, the Ottoman diplomat who led the early negotiations at the Lausanne Conference after the Mudros Armistice and the Treaty of Sèvres. While İsmet İnönü later became the face of the Lausanne Treaty of 1923, Bekir Sami Kunduh was the first chief delegate for the Ankara government, arriving in Lausanne in November 1922. His diplomatic career spanned the late empire and early republic: he served as governor of Van, foreign minister in the first TBMM cabinet, and was a key figure in the Misak-ı Milli negotiations. However, his signing of the London Agreement in 1923 — which granted economic concessions in exchange for early French withdrawal from Cilicia — was rejected by Mustafa Kemal, leading to his resignation. They discuss the complexities of early Turkish diplomacy, the tensions between Ankara and Istanbul, and the forgotten contributions of a man who bridged two eras. #BekirSamiKunduh #LausanneConference #TreatyOfLausanne #Misak-ıMilli #TurkishWarOfIndependence #TBMM #MustafaKemal #İsmetİnönü #MudrosArmistice #TreatyOfSèvres #OttomanDiplomacy #Cilicia #LondonAgreement #AnkaraGovernment #History #FexingoHistory #OttomanEmpire #20thCentury Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Last Ottoman Sultan's Fatwa Against Mustafa Kemal

In April 1920, as the Turkish War of Independence gathered momentum, the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed VI issued a fatwa from Istanbul declaring Mustafa Kemal Pasha and the Ankara government rebels against the Caliphate. Lucas and Luna explore the political and religious battle that followed: how Ankara's own muftis counter-decreed the Sultan's authority, how the fatwa split families and towns, and how this struggle over legitimate authority foreshadowed the end of the Ottoman dynasty. They discuss the role of Şeyhülislam Dürrizade Abdullah, the rival fetva from Ankara's Hoca Raif Efendi, and the civil war within Islam that preceded the empire's final collapse. #OttomanEmpire #TurkishWarOfIndependence #Fatwa #MehmedVI #MustafaKemalAtaturk #Şeyhülislam #Ankara #Caliphate #Saltanat #Kuva-yiMilliye #TBMM #HocaRaifEfendi #DürrizadeAbdullah #1920 #History #FexingoHistory #MiddleEast #Sultan Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Last Ottoman Library: Lost Books of the Empire

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore a lesser-known casualty of the Ottoman Empire's collapse: its libraries. From the great manuscript collections of Istanbul to the dispersed archives of Baghdad and Damascus, the end of the empire meant the loss of thousands of priceless books. They focus on the fate of the Sultan's private library at Yıldız Palace, which was looted and scattered after the empire fell. They also discuss the efforts of scholars like İsmail Saib Sencer, who tried to save what he could, and the mysterious disappearance of the Kütüphane-i Umumî catalogues. Along the way, they touch on the 1918 fire at the Beyazıt State Library, the looting of the Evkaf-ı İslâmiye Müzesi library, and the quiet salvage work of the Maarif Nezareti. The conversation ends with a reflection on what is lost when a civilization's books are scattered — not just texts, but a whole way of seeing the world. #OttomanLibraries #YıldızPalace #İsmailSaibSencer #BeyazıtStateLibrary #EvkafMüzesi #KütüphaneiUmumi #MaarifNezareti #LostManuscripts #OttomanCollapse #BookHistory #ManuscriptLooting #Istanbul #Baghdad #Damascus #PostWWI #FexingoHistory #History #BookHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Ottoman Army's Last Stand at the First Battle of Gaza

In March 1917, the Ottoman Fourth Army faced a British invasion force at Gaza. This episode dives into the First Battle of Gaza, where German commander Kress von Kressenstein and Ottoman troops repelled a British attack, temporarily halting the Egyptian Expeditionary Force. We explore the tactical decisions, the role of desert logistics, and how this Ottoman victory delayed the fall of Palestine for a year. Learn about the battles for Gaza, the strategic importance of Beersheba, and why this clash is often overlooked in histories of World War I in the Middle East. #FirstBattleOfGaza #OttomanEmpire #KressVonKressenstein #Gaza #Palestine #WorldWarI #SinaiPalestineCampaign #EgyptianExpeditionaryForce #OttomanFourthArmy #Beersheba #DjemalPasha #CemalPasha #Allenby #MiddleEast #History #FexingoHistory #OttomanHistory #WWI Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Ottoman Empire's Last Capital: Istanbul Under Allied Occupation 1918-1923

When the Mudros Armistice was signed in October 1918, the Ottoman Empire wasn't just defeated — its capital, Istanbul, was occupied by Allied forces. For nearly five years, from November 13, 1918 to October 6, 1923, British, French, Italian, and later Greek troops controlled the city. The Sultan and his government remained, but they were effectively puppets. This episode dives into daily life under occupation: the Allied naval flotilla anchored off Dolmabahçe, the censorship and curfews, the rise of the Turkish National Movement in Ankara, and the quiet resistance of ordinary Istanbulites. We explore how the occupation accelerated the empire's collapse and shaped modern Turkey. Key figures include General Harrington, Admiral Calthorpe, Mustafa Kemal, and the last Sultan Mehmed VI. We also look at lesser-known stories: the underground 'Karakol' society smuggling weapons to Anatolia, the women's protest meetings in Sultanahmet Square in 1919, and the Italian occupation of Antalya. This is the untold story of a city under foreign boots — and the birth pangs of a new nation. #OccupationOfIstanbul #MudrosArmistice #MustafaKemal #MehmedVI #AlliedOccupation #TurkishNationalMovement #KarakolSociety #SultanahmetProtests #GeneralHarrington #AdmiralCalthorpe #OttomanEmpire #HistoryOfTurkey #WWIHistory #MiddleEastHistory #Istanbul #Resistance #FexingoHistory #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]