Part 32
By Harith Ubaidah
The two fortresses stood roughly sixty feet apart. The inner enclosure rose some thirty feet, and upon it stood imposing towers that reached nearly sixty feet in height. The outer walls measured about twenty-five feet and likewise supported several towers, each manned by soldiers.
With these formidable structures and the natural barrier of surrounding waters, the city ranked among the most impregnable strongholds in the world. Allah Almighty had granted it natural walls and elevations from all four directions, defenses so formidable that breaching them was all but impossible. For this reason, the city had turned back assault after assault, and it is worth recalling that the Muslims had attempted to capture it eleven times before. Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, however, had completed meticulous preparations for what he intended to be the final and decisive campaign. He possessed a thorough understanding of the city’s fortifications, prepared detailed plans for the siege, and personally inspected the strength of its walls and defensive lines.
To support the operation, the Sultan took practical steps to improve the route between Edirne and Constantinople so that the enormous cannons could be transported more easily. It took two full months for the artillery to make the journey. Once near the city, the cannons and their crews were positioned at carefully chosen points. The Ottoman army, led in person by Sultan Mehmed, reached the outskirts of Constantinople on the 26th of Rabi al-Awwal 857, corresponding to April 6, 1453 CE, and assembled there to begin the siege.
The army numbered fifty thousand two hundred men. The Sultan addressed them with a stirring and confident speech, reminding them of the prophetic glad tidings surrounding the conquest of Constantinople and the honor promised to the army and its commander. He declared that the victory would bring great dignity and renown to the Muslim world. His words were delivered with deliberate force and clarity, and the soldiers responded with resounding cries of takbir that echoed across the camp. The entire army turned to Allah in prayer, beseeching His help in taking the city.
A large group of scholars had also joined the campaign, standing shoulder to shoulder with the soldiers in devotion to jihad in the path of Allah. Their presence further strengthened the resolve of the troops, and every man awaited the battle with eagerness, determined to fulfill his duty.
On the second day, the Sultan deployed the army in separate units around the outer perimeter of the city. He organized the forces into three major divisions, tightening the siege from multiple directions, while a reserve contingent was placed behind them to provide support whenever needed. Heavy cannons were positioned opposite the walls, foremost among them the great Sultani cannon, an immense and weighty piece set directly facing the Topkapi Gate.
Observers were stationed on high ground near the city to monitor the progress of the battle. At sea, the Sultan dispersed Ottoman ships around the city, but they were prevented from entering the Golden Horn by the massive chain stretched across its entrance. Any vessel that attempted to push forward was destroyed. Even so, the Ottoman fleet achieved notable success in the Sea of Marmara, where it captured the Princes’ Islands.