The Ottoman Empire
The Ottomans were a Turkish dynasty of the Sunni branch of Islam that rose to prominence, when Muhammad conquered Constantinople. Under the next two rulers, called sultans, the Ottomans became an Asian as well as European militaristic power. After conquering Mecca and Medina, Sultan Selim took the title of caliph, or successor of Muhammad. Further conquests came under Selim's successor, Sultan Suleiman the Great, earned his the title of the "protector of the sacred palaces," which were Mecca and Medina. Suleiman extended the Ottoman Empire to Mesopotamia (in northern Iraq) and parts of present-day central eastern Europe. He captured Belgrade in 1521, and in 1526 the Ottoman Turks defeated the Hungarians. Suleiman besieged Vienna from 1526 to 1529, and although he failed to take the from the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, the Ottomans remained a continuous threat to the Western European states. Suleiman's presence in Eastern Europe contributed to to the ferocity of the wars of religion, as he aided Protestant nations to destabilize Europe.
Suleiman built magnificent walls around Jerusalem which still surround the Old City today. Under Suleiman, the Ottoman Empire reached its high point, encompassing the area from Hungary to Yemen on the Saudi Arabian Peninsula and Persia, including dominance of the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea, which is bounded by Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Turkey, with an outlet to Mediterranean.
Suleiman built magnificent walls around Jerusalem which still surround the Old City today. Under Suleiman, the Ottoman Empire reached its high point, encompassing the area from Hungary to Yemen on the Saudi Arabian Peninsula and Persia, including dominance of the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea, which is bounded by Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Turkey, with an outlet to Mediterranean.