Sabetay Zevi of Izmir, born in 1626, was an intelligent Talmud student. Much focused in Kabbalah and influenced by its mysticism, at the age of 22, he announced himself as the “Messiah” expected by the Jews to come. Preaching his prophecies, he attracted many followers to the movement in his hometown alike many other cities he traveled. In 1666, shortly after publicly announcing his arrival as “Messiah”, he got arrested in Istanbul. Given the options of death or conversion of religion by the Sultan, Zevi chose to convert to Islam. After the conversion, he was given the name Aziz Mehmed Efendi. He lived the last 10 years of his life as a Muslim, but mostly practicing Judaic rituals in secret.