The Ottoman Empire
In the mid-1200s Muslim Turkish warriors known as the Ottomans began to take land from the Christian Byzantine Empire. They eventually ruled lands from eastern Europe to North Africa and Arabia. In 1453 Mehmed II led the Ottomans to conquer Constantinople. When Mehmed conquered Constantinople, now called Istanbul, his new capital. A later sultan, continued Mehmed's conquests. The Ottoman Empire reached its height under Suleyman I. During his rule, from 1520 to 1566, Ottomans took control of the eastern Mediterranean and they pushed farther into Europe. They also reached their cultural peak. Muslims poets wrote beautiful works, and architects worked to turn Istanbul from a Byzantine city into a Muslim one. The sultan issued laws and made all major decisions in the empire. Most of the Ottomans law were based on the Shariah but they also made laws of their own. Ottoman society was divided up into two classes. People who couldn't fit the requirements of these classes made up other classes.
The Safavid Empire
A group of Persian Muslims known as the Safavids were gaining power to the east. The Safavid Empire began in 1501 when the Safavid leader Esma'il conquered Persia. As shah, Esma'il made Shiism- the beliefs of Shia-the official religion of the empire. This act worried Esma'il's advisors because most people in the empire were Sunnis. He battled the Uzbeks but suffered a crushing defeat by the Ottomans. Esma'il died in 1524 and the next leaders struggled to keep the empire together. In 1588 the greatest Safavid leader, 'Abbas, became shah. He strengthened the military and gave his soldiers modern gunpowder weapons. Under 'Abbas rule, the Safavids defeated the Uzbeks and took back land h=that had been lost to the Ottomans. The Safavids blended Persian and Muslim traditions. Hand woven carpets were major exports in the empire. The Safavids were admired for their skills in making ceramics and metal goods, especially goods made out of steel.
The Mughal Empire
East of the Safavid Empire, in India, lies the Mughal Empire. The Mughals were Turkish Muslims. The founder of he Mughal Empire was called Babur. He established in 1526 in northern India. The empire grew in the mid-1500s under a man named Akbar. He began a tolerant religious policy. He got rid of the tax on non-Muslims and invited Hindus to be part of the Mughal government. In the 1600s Mughal emperors expanded the empire to control of almost al of India. This period of expansion was not a peaceful time. The new emperor ordered people to obey strict religious laws and destroy Hindu temples throughout India. The Mughal Empire soon fell apart. For much of the empire's history, however, Muslims and Hindus lived together peacefully. The Mughal Empire was also known for its monumental architecture such as the Taj Mahal. It was built by Akbar's grandson Shan Jahan for his wife. The Taj Mahal is a dazzling tomb built between 1631 and 1647.