Dr. Orhan Aral was born in 1949 in Istanbul. He graduated from the Galatasaray High School and the Istanbul Faculty of Medicine. After his internal medicine training, he specialized in rheumatology. He worked for 42 years at the Faculty of Medicine in Istanbul. He retired in 2016.

After reading a book on the life of Florence Nightingale, he began to take an interest in the Crimean War.

Most of the photos on this site were taken by him. These photos can be used without authorization of the author but a reference should be made.

If you see a mistake, or would like to add an information, do not hesitate to contact the author. You can also send an email if you would like to share an information overlooked by the author. Please send your information to [email protected].

The author would like to thank Mr. and Mrs Chamouard (Paris), Mr. Rinaldo Marmara (Istanbul), Mr. Olivier Brossollet (Paris), Canon Ian Sherwood OBE (Istanbul) and Mr. Gianfranco Armando (Rome) who helped and encouraged him during the preparation of this website.