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The Ottoman Empire

1299–1922 CE · 699 AH–1341 AH
MakkahMakkahMadinahJerusalemJerusalemDamascusBaghdadKufaCairoCórdobaGranadaIstanbulIstanbulKairouanFezIsfahanSamarqandLahoreDelhiBursa
Approximate extent around 1683 CE · Borders are approximate and simplified.See on the map
Overview

The Ottoman state began around 1299 under Osman I in north-west Anatolia. In 857 AH (1453 CE) Sultan Mehmed II conquered Constantinople, which became Istanbul, the Ottoman capital.

After Selim I brought Egypt, Syria and the Hijaz under Ottoman rule in 1517, the sultans served as protectors of the Two Holy Mosques. Under Süleyman the Magnificent (1520–1566) the empire reached its height, with the architect Mimar Sinan building its great mosques.

The empire declined in the 18th–19th centuries. It ended after the First World War: the sultanate was abolished in 1922 and the caliphate in 1924.

Capital: Bursa · Istanbul

Key events
  • c. 1299: Osman I founds the Ottoman state.
  • 1453: Mehmed II conquers Constantinople.
  • 1517: Selim I takes Egypt; the Hijaz comes under Ottoman protection.
  • 1520–1566: reign of Süleyman the Magnificent.
  • 1683: the second siege of Vienna fails.
  • 1924: the caliphate is abolished.
Key figures
  • Osman I
  • Mehmed II al-Fatih
  • Selim I
  • Süleyman the Magnificent
  • Mimar Sinan
Legacy

For six centuries the Ottomans protected the Hijaz and pilgrims, built some of the world's most beautiful mosques and left a legal and cultural heritage across three continents.

Prepared from standard sources; pending scholar review.