General
The General category gathers broad overview articles on Ottoman history — introductory pieces, periodization debates, comparative looks at the empire alongside its contemporaries, and explainers that connect the dots between sultans, wars, institutions, society, and culture. Coverage spans the full arc from Osman Gazi's Söğüt frontier (1299) through the proclamation of the Republic (1923), with attention to how historians have framed Ottoman trajectories: rise and decline narratives, transformation theses, the long nineteenth century, and the legacy that shaped the modern Middle East and Balkans. Articles here are written for readers building first context on the empire before exploring more specialised sections.
Titles Used by Rulers in Pre-Islamic Turkic States
What titles did rulers use in pre-Islamic Turkic states? Tanhu, kagan, khan, yabgu and tegin explained state by state, together with the idea of kut and the dual organization.
Titles Used by Rulers in Pre-Islamic Turkic States →
Göktürk Flag
What did the Göktürk flag really look like? Chinese sources describe a wolf-headed banner planted before the khagan’s tent; today’s blue grey-wolf flag is a modern design.
Göktürk Flag →
Why Did the Transition to Multi-Party Life Fail?
Why did the transition to multi-party life in Turkey fail twice? The Progressive and Free Republican parties, the Sheikh Said rebellion and the road from 1946 to the 1950 elections.
Why Did the Transition to Multi-Party Life Fail? →
Zodiac Signs According to Ancient Egyptian Mythology
Are zodiac signs according to ancient Egyptian mythology real? Sirius and the Nile, the 36 decans, the origin of the zodiac, Babylonian astrology and the Ottoman chief astrologer.
Zodiac Signs According to Ancient Egyptian Mythology →
When Did Prophet David Live?
When did Prophet David live and how long did he reign? The periods in the Torah, Prophet Solomon’s accession and the archaeological evidence examined together, with sources.
When Did Prophet David Live? →
What Did the Maya Believe the World Looked Like?
What did the Maya believe the world looked like? The four-cornered world on a crocodile’s back, thirteen layers of heaven, Xibalba, the ceiba tree, the Popol Vuh and the Maya calendar.
What Did the Maya Believe the World Looked Like? →
What Did the Babylonians Think the World Looked Like?
What did the Babylonians compare the world to? The Babylonian Map of the World, the Enuma Elish creation epic, the layers of heaven and the legacy of Babylonian astronomy.
What Did the Babylonians Think the World Looked Like? →
The Last Military Campaign of Suleiman the Magnificent
Suleiman the Magnificent’s last military campaign was the Szigetvár campaign of 1566: its causes, the siege, the sultan’s death in his tent and how Sokullu Mehmed Pasha concealed it.
The Last Military Campaign of Suleiman the Magnificent →
How Did the Ottoman Empire Change under Selim I?
Under Selim I, the Ottoman Empire was transformed politically, militarily, and administratively through Chaldiran, the conquest of Egypt, and protection over the Hejaz.
How Did the Ottoman Empire Change under Selim I? →
Seljuk Wars
What were the Seljuk wars? The dates, sides and results of the battles of Dandanaqan, Pasinler, Manzikert, Myriokephalon and Köse Dağ, from Khurasan to Anatolia.
Seljuk Wars →
