Mehmed: Sultan of Conquests

Plot: Following the unexpected demise of his father, Sultan Murad II, young prince Mehmed ascends the Ottoman throne in Edirne for the second time. Driven by a lifelong strategic vision and religious prophecies, Mehmed sets his sights on an ambition once thought impossible: conquering the heavily fortified Byzantine capital of Constantinople. Facing off against Emperor Constantine XI and navigating intense palace resistance led by the cautious Grand Vizier Çandarlı Halil Pasha, Mehmed revolutionizes military siege tactics, constructs massive defensive fortresses, and commissions groundbreaking siege cannons designed by master Urban to breach the ancient Theodosian walls. Trivia: Produced by Miray Yapım for Turkey's public broadcaster TRT 1, "Mehmed: Fetihler Sultanı" (*Mehmed: Sultan of Conquests*) is an epic big-budget period drama directed by Şafak Bal and produced by Eyüp Gökhan Özekin. The series stars Serkan Çayoğlu in the monumental title role of Mehmed the Conqueror, flanked by Selim Bayraktar as Emperor Constantine XI, Fikret Kuşkan as Çandarlı Halil Pasha, and Tuba Ünsal as Mara Hatun. Portions of its international production—particularly parallel narrative sequences depicting early Islamic history and Abu Ayyub al-Ansari—were filmed at film studios in Ouarzazate, Morocco, before expanding onto expansive historical backlots built specifically in Istanbul.