The House of Islâm

In the waning years of Sultan Abdul Mejid I’s reign, a wave of Georgian and Circassian families flees the aftermath of war with Muscovy, seeking sanctuary within the Ottoman realm. The sultan, eager to populate a remote province, grants them land and protection, while appointing Milhem Bey—a native official—to oversee the fledgling settlement and keep the peace with the existing inhabitants.

Milhem’s journey to the new colony is a vivid portrait of Ottoman life, from the bustling straits of Istanbul to the quiet orchards that lead to his brother Shems‑ud‑Dìn’s modest home. As he surveys the exotic skyline of domes and minarets, Milhem wrestles with ambition and the heavy cost of authority, hoping his modest post might become a stepping‑stone to greater power. Yet the arrival of the exiles, with their fierce eyes and unfamiliar customs, already hints at the delicate balance he must maintain between loyalty to the sultan and the realities of a multicultural frontier.