Orhan

About Orhan

Orhan, who reigned from 1288 to 1362, was the third Bey of the Ottoman Empire and is instrumental in its transformation from a small Anatolian beylik into a nascent state. His political acumen and military leadership were key to the early expansion of Ottoman territory, primarily through the conquest of important Byzantine cities like Bursa, which he established as the first major Ottoman capital. This foundational work in state-building and territorial acquisition is why the Pantheon project ranks him at #643 among the most historically important figures globally.

The modern internet's attention, however, does not fully reflect this historical weight. Orhan garnered approximately 404K annualized Wikipedia views in 2025. This level of engagement is notably similar to that of Wu Zetian (#960 importance) and Golda Meir (#885 importance), despite Orhan's significantly higher historical ranking. In fact, his attention is nearly perfectly aligned with his historical importance, reflected in his ~1x Attention Gap ratio, suggesting he is one of the better-recognized figures within this historical bracket.

Despite the relatively balanced attention, a recent trend shows a volatile interest. While his overall views are steady, Orhan experienced a significant surge in attention during the first part of 2025, with his Q1 vs Q3 momentum showing a sharp +64% increase, though this was followed by a -34.9% year-over-year change, indicating fluctuations in modern digital interest.