The Mosque of Hagia Sophia & Selim ll .
The Middle East as we know it today emerged from the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman history involves not only the Ottoman dynasty but also, this great empire ruled over Arabs, Serbs, Greeks, Armenians, Jews, Bulgars, Hungarians, Albanians, North Africans and others. At one time in history, the Ottomans were considered a major power in the world. Their civilization had a major impact on many other societies in those days by commerce, culture, and religion. It constitutes the history of the major religious groups among these are Muslims, Christians and Jews.
To begin with, the Ottomans had a very efficient system of administration, which led to their successful era. The Ottoman Empire was ruled by The Sultan, a king like ruler that claimed religious position. For example, the Sultan would claim the position of the Caliph, a supreme temporal leader of Islam. The influence of religion made a significant effect on the supreme power that Sultan claimed. By claiming the title of the Capliph a religious loyalty was created between the Islamic people and the Sultan. Officially, the Sultan was the government. He enjoyed absolute power and, in theory at least, was personally involved in every governmental decision. In the Ottoman experience of government, everything representing the state government issued from the hands of the Sultan himself. The Ottoman Empire lasted for over six centuries because of the success through expansion and the ability to control, the empire proved very successful in nearly all they attempted. "The Ottomans were already experienced empire builders and had established a strong, centralized administration. They were a predominantly military power" (Armstrong 323).
The Ottoman Empire is famous for its architecture. "The Ottoman style is geometric, formalistic and never ornamental: significant rather than beautiful" (Goodwin 130).
