In about 1300, a Turkish leader called Osman ruled a small kingdom in Anatolia (modern Turkey). His family name in Arabic was 'Othman' and is better known to us today as Ottoman. Osman and his descendants were to build up one of the most important and long-lasting empires in world history. The Ottoman Turks started to take over parts of the weak Byzantine Empire. The new empire was a strong Muslim answer to the power of Christian Europe in the west. In 1346 a Byzantine leader hired some Ottomon troops to fight for him, but this turned out to be a big mistake. It allowed the Ottomans to cross into Europe, therefore increasing their empire.
Fact file
An intricately carved doorway marks the entrance to an Ottoman mosque.
resources: Tell me why (Chancellor Press)
image 1: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c0/Sultan_Gazi
image 2: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/46/P1020390.JPG/300px-P1020390.JPG
