In the pantheon of cinematic depictions of Islamic history, few figures loom as large as Sultan Muhammad al-Fatih (Mehmed the Conqueror). The films that bear his name—most notably Turkey’s Fetih 1453 (2012) and subsequent series—strive to do more than recount a battle. They attempt to capture the soul of a prophecy : the young Ottoman sultan who, at age 21, fulfilled the famous hadith of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): “Verily, Constantinople shall be conquered. What a wonderful leader will he be, and what a wonderful army will that army be.”