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FIND OUT MORE. Crusades 389 • Islamic Civilization 386–387

History^397

Ottoman Empire

Around 1300 CE, a new Muslim empire ruled by Turkish

leaders called sultans was founded. At its largest extent,

in 1700, it covered vast areas of Europe, Africa, and

Asia. It lasted until the end of World War I (1918).

Today’s Republic of Turkey was founded in 1923.

Asian Temple Kingdoms

Between 700 and 1300 CE, powerful kingdoms, including

the Khmer, Pagan, and Sukhothai, emerged in different

parts of southeast Asia. They grew rich from growing

rice, selling valuable spices, and controlling merchants’

sea routes. Their rulers built great temples.

WHY DID ASIAN RULERS BUILD TEMPLES?

Rulers organized thousands of workers to build Hindu

and Buddhist temples for worship. The Buddhist

religion became much more popular, so many more

Buddhist temples were built. The temples brought

religious merit to rulers, prestige to their kingdoms,

and displayed each ruler’s wealth and power.

HOW DID CONSTANTINOPLE BECOME ISTANBUL?

In 1453, after a seige during which its walls were

pounded by a battery of cannons, Constantinople was

captured by Sultan Muhammad II. Renamed Istanbul,

the old capital of the Byzantine Empire then became the

new capital of the expanding Ottoman Empire.

WHY WAS SULEIMAN I MAGNIFICENT?

The greatest of the Ottoman sultans was Suleiman

the Magnificent. During his reign (1520–1566), the

Ottoman Empire reached its greatest extent. He was

also a poet and a patron of the arts, adorning Istanbul

and other Ottoman cities with glittering mosques.

WHERE DID JANISSARIES COME FROM?

Janissaries were elite soldiers, who started as non-

Turkish Christian boys from the Balkans. They were

trained in Istanbul, where they converted to Islam.

WHO INFLUENCED THE TEMPLE KINGDOMS?

Buddhist monks and Hindu holy men travelled from

India to southeast Asia. They offered advice to kings

and led religious rituals. Prayers, offerings, and

festivals became an important part of people’s lives.

1 CERAMIC TILES FROM THE BLUE MOSQUE, ISTANBUL
The vibrant, tiled walls of the mosque of Sultan Ahmed, built in
1609–1619 and popularly known as the Blue Mosque. By endowing
Istanbul with magnificent mosques and public buildings, the sultans
aimed to surpass the achievements of the Byzantine emperors.

1 BUDDHIST TEMPLE
This is one of over 5,000 temples
built in 1000–1200 in the Pagan
kingdom, now in Myanmar.

BOROBUDUR MONUMENT 2
This massive Buddhist temple was
built on the island of Java (now
in Indonesia) in 750–850.

One of 500 statues

of Buddha

Model of a

stupa (Buddhist

burial mound)

Stepped terraces

were cut into a

natural mound

SULTAN OTHMAN I 1

The first sultan, Othman I

(1259–1326), was the son of a

Turkish chieftain. He led an army

of ghazis (warriors fighting for

the Muslim faith).

FIND OUT MORE. Buddhism 289 • Hinduism 286

Asian

temple

kingdoms

Ottomans