Thank you for taking the time to visit my site and for your interest in the Ottoman Dynasty Chronicles Series: The Gilded Cage on the Bosphorus and A Farewell To Imperial İstanbul.
My name is Ayşe Gülnev Osmanoğlu. I am a member of the Ottoman Imperial family, a mother of five beautiful children and a self-published author.
I was born in Henley-on-Thames, a small riverside village in the UK, in January 1971. My father is H.I.H. Prince Osman Selaheddin. He is descended from Sultan Murad V through his father, H.I.H. Prince Ali Vâsıb, and from Sultan Mehmed V Reşad through his mother, H.I.H. Princess Emine Mukbile.
My father was born in Alexandria, Egypt. He lived there in exile with my grandparents until he came to London to further his education. In 1966 he married my mother, Athena Joy Christoforides. At this time it was still forbidden for Imperial Princes of the Ottoman family to return to Turkey, so he decided to settle in England to raise his family. So, my two brothers and I spent our childhoods in the picturesque town of Marlow, in Buckinghamshire.
Once the exile decree was finally lifted we enjoyed rare but precious visits to İstanbul. These visits fostered in me not only an immense sense of pride in my family, but also a deep sadness for all that had been lost. It was this combined sense of pride and loss that motivated me to write my book. I wanted to record my grandparents’ memories for my children, and teach them something about the forgotten world of the Ottomans and the splendour of Imperial İstanbul, before those unique memories were lost forever…
Education & Career
I graduated from the University of Exeter with a degree in History and Politics. Then I obtained a Master’s Degree in Turkish Studies at SOAS, University of London, specialising in Ottoman History. I spent the next twenty years helping my husband to build up a property investment and development company, however I decided to step back completely from this a few years ago in order to find time to concentrate on my writing.
Personal Life
I live with my husband and five children in Sussex. I am blessed to have four wonderful sons, a beautiful daughter, and a very mischievous cat! I enjoy nothing more than spending time with my family, but I also enjoy playing tennis, travelling and going to the ballet. My secret vice is chocolate, but please don’t tell anyone!
Writing
It has been my life-long dream to research and write historical accounts about my family. I have written a number of articles, some of which have appeared in newspapers and magazines, but my first published book was something of a family collaboration.
Together with my younger brother Selim we wrote the historical background to our grandfather’s memoirs, while our father prepared the manuscript and compiled the numerous tables and charts that accompany the book. Memoirs of an Ottoman Prince, by H.I.H. Prince Ali Vâsıb, is a unique insight into the life and times of a member of the Ottoman Dynasty at the turn of the twentieth century. It was also an invaluable source of information to me when researching my story. The historical background that accompanied the book provides the reader with a succinct account of the 625 year history of the Ottoman Empire, and the dynasty who ruled continuously over it.
The Gilded Cage on the Bosphorus
I began writing The Gilded Cage on the Bosphorus three years ago, and completed the first draft in 2018. The last year and a half has been a very steep learning curve for me, but one that I have greatly enjoyed. So, now that the editing, re-writes, typesetting, formatting and book cover design is done, and the manuscript has been uploaded to Amazon, the book has finally been published! And published on a day of great significance to me and all the other descendants of Sultan Murad V – the 30th May 2020, the 144th anniversary of Sultan Murad V’s accession to the Ottoman throne.
Initially I was very unsure about whether or not I should publish my story. After all, it was written with the sole intention of teaching my children about their heritage, and was never intended to be read by a wider audience. However, my father can be very persuasive! And he wanted me to publish it! I also received many wonderfully positive and encouraging comments while writing my blog, so eventually I was persuaded!
Boğaz’daki Altın Kafes
It upset me that the book was not available in Turkish. So, in early 2020 the translation of The Gilded Cage on the Bosphorus began. The title I eventually decided upon was Boğaz’daki Altın Kafes. This project took over a year to complete, and I am indebted to my wonderful translator for producing such a sensitive and accurate translation of my original manuscript. My father and my hocam’s advice was also invaluable during the process, before my step-mother edited the manuscript with great care and attention in preparation of publishing. Then I had the wait for the perfect time to publish…
And the date that seemed to me to be the most appropriate to launch the Turkish edition of my book was 13th October 2021. This is the date of the anniversary of my beloved grandfather’s birth, and the day in 1903 on which the book begins.
My book is neither an historical novel, nor an academic study – it seems to me to sit somewhere in between! I am fully aware that I have only lightly sketched the characters, as I felt disloyal even considering embellishing or misrepresenting their true natures; and I certainly do not claim to be a History professor. In addition I make it quite clear where my sympathies lie, and make no apologies for this: I would ask the reader to remember that I am writing about my own family, and essentially for my own family, so I trust that a little bias will be thought permissible!
It is my hope that readers will enjoy this journey back in time to the splendour of Imperial İstanbul; that lost world ruled over by the House of Osman. I hope, too, that during the hours they spend in their company they will feel able to open their hearts a little to the family of Sultan Murad V.
A Farewell To Imperial İstanbul
A Farewell To Imperial İstanbul was written to commemorate the centenary of the exile of my family from their homeland. It is a story that is deeply personal to me and I only hope that I have told this tragic tale with the sensitivity and understanding that it deserves.
I felt that I had to try to find a way to pay homage to the incredible resilience of spirit shown by my grandparents, great-grandparents and all other members of my family who were cruelly sent into exile by order of Law 431 passed by the Grand National Assembly in Ankara on the evening of 3rd March 1924. Their only crime – to be a member of the House of Osman.
I remember my grandparents telling me that they left their souls in İstanbul on the cold spring night of 6th March 1924, as they boarded the Simplon-Orient-Express at Sirkeci Railway Station, and it carried them away out of the city and across the Turkish – Bulgarian border. This book is for them…
I have realised a dream in writing and publishing these books in the Ottoman Dynasty Novels Series. A saga that will tell the intimate and personal story of members of the Ottoman Imperial family during the twilight years of the Ottoman Empire. The next book is already underway…
If you would like to find out more about me, my books or you would just like to connect on social media and join the wonderful and supportive community that has grown on there, then please visit: My dedicated Author’s Facebook Page; My Instagram Account or my dedicated Author’s Instagram Account; Or my Twitter Account.
To see photographs of the characters, locations and many other pictures from which I drew my inspiration for the books, please take a look at my Pinterest Boards.
