OLLI Workshop: Critical Historical Periods in the Middle East

Leader: Theo Pavlidis (t.pavlidis@ieee.org)

Handout No. 10 - April 19, 2010

The Rise of the Ottoman Empire

MAP OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE AT ITS PEAK (circa 1690): The darker the color, the older the possession. Almost black marks the original state before the Byzantines hired Ottoman mercenaries and let them into Europe. Dark gray marks possessions at the end of Mehmed's II reign.

A CONSEQUENCE OF THE BAN ON PRINTING ARABIC? Sample of Turkish text printed with Greek characters. The first line means FIRST VOLUME. The second line means "Place of Happiness", an Ottoman appelation of Constantinople. The third line is the name of the publshing house.

Recommended Historical Novel: My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk, Vintage Books, 2002.
Paperback, $10.85 at Amazon. The story takes place in Istanbul during the reign of Murad III (1574-1595). The book has been translated into 24 languages. Pamuk won the Nobel prize for literature in 2006.