Vocabulary
Arabic term for tribal leader, adopted into the Arab Muslim culture as a term of honor used to refer to a respected elder, leader or scholar.
What is a "Shaykh" (or "Sheikh")?
Literally meaning "warfare in defense of the faith (Islam)."
What is "jihad"?
The founder of the Ottoman Empire in 1301 was this ruler.
Who was Osman?
The Persian term for "king" or "ruler" is this.
What is "Shah"?
The term "Mughal" is derived from a corrupted version of this term and refers to the Muslim rulers of India who are alleged to have descended from the lineage of Genghis Khan and Timur Link.
What is "Mongol"?
A form of the practice of Islam which emphasizes emotional connection / union with Allah (God), and the performance of mystical powers.
What are / is "Sufis" / "Sufism"?
A legally protected religious minority group under the ruling Sunnis of the Ottoman Empire.
What is a "millet"?
The Ottoman ruler who was the one to introduce the practice of devshirme was:
Who was Orhan?
This ruler claimed to be a direct descendant of the 13th century Sufi mystic Shaykh Safi-al-din, and proclaimed himself "Shah" of the Safavid in 1501. However, he would suffer a disastrous defeat at the Battle of Chaldiran by the Ottoman Sultan Selim I ("the Grim") because the Safavids foolishly refused to employ gunpowder and modern weaponry which they considered "cowardly."
Who was Shah Ismail I?
The founder of the Mughal Dynasty in India in 1526, who claimed to be a descendant of Genghis Khan and Timur Link, was this ruler.
Who was Babur?
Turkish term for Muslim mystics or Sufis.
What is a "dervish"?
Muslim religious scholars, sometimes referred to as “mullahs,” who are experts in Sharia Law.
Who are the "Ulama"?
This Ottoman ruler was the first to introduce the use of gunpowder, cannons and muskets in warfare.
Who was Sultan Murad II?
These nomadic warriors were excellent horsemen and archers, and wore red head coverings to indicate their devotion to"Shi'ism" which aligned them with the Safavid rulers against the Ottomans, and they became the core of the early Safavid military, known as the "red heads."
Who were the "Qizilbash" ("Red Heads")?
This Mughal ruler broke from tradition by taking Hindu princesses of the noble families of India as his wives, and permitting them to practice their religion in the "harem" (private family quarters of the royal palace). Despite his intense curiosity about all forms of religion and hosting debates among Muslim, Jewish, Christian and Hindu scholars, and his creation of a religion he called "Din-i-Ilahi," he reigned at the height of the Mughal Empire and is known as "The Great" in Mughal Indian History.
Who was "Shah Akbar the Great"?
Muslim Sufi “brotherhoods.”
What are "tariqas"?
Elite troops of the Ottoman Empire, comprised of Christian boys from the Balkans; the term is derived from the Turkish phrase meaning “new troops.”
Who were the "Janissaries"?
Known as "The Conqueror," this Ottoman sultan succeeded in capturing the Byzantine capital of Constantinople and renamed it Istanbul in 1453.
Who was Sultan Mehmed II (a.k.a. "Mehmed the Conqueror")?
The height of the Safavid Empire occurred under this ruler, who defeated the Uzbek threat to the eastern border, moved the Safavid capital to Isfahan in 1598, and recaptured the cities of Tabriz and Baghdad from Ottoman control. Thus, he is known to the Safavids as "The Great."
Who was Shah Abbas I "The Great"?
The given name of this Mughal prince was "Salim" which he changed to avoid becoming confused with the Ottoman Sultan "Selim the Grim." After succeeding his father in 1605, he took the title "Shah Jahangir" ("world conqueror" in Persian) and became the first Mughal ruler to engage in trade with the British. In 1611, he married the widow of a rebellious military commander and renamed her "Nur Jahan" meaning "Light of the World."
Who was Shah Jahangir?
Muslim “crusaders” or holy warriors who fight against “infidels” or non-believers.
What are "ghazis"?
The Ottoman practice of compulsory conscription (drafting) young pre-adolescent boys from captured territories (particularly Christian villages and regions of the Balkans and the Caucasus Mountains) into personal service of the Ottoman sultan, either as elite royal troops or as members of the imperial bureaucracy.
What is the practice of "Devshirme"?
Known in Europe as "The Magnificent," this Ottoman ruler was known to his own people as "The Lawgiver" and ruled the Empire at the height of its power from 1520 - 1566.
Who was Sultan "Sulieman the Magnificent"?
The Safavid ruler at the height of the Empire engaged in a treaty with this European naval power for both trade (Persian silk for its woolen textiles) and military alliance against both the Ottomans and the Portguese for control of the Persian Gulf - adhering to the foreign policy philosophy summed up by the Arabic proverb, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."
Who were the British?
Although this Mughal prince's given name was Khurram, after several successful military campaigns in which he proved a capable commander, his father bestowed upon his the name Shah Jahan ("Ruler of the World"). He was betrothed to his most favored wife at age 15, and became ruler in 1627 upon his father's death, but he is best remembered for the magnificent masoleum (tomb) which he ordered constructed of white marble upon the death of his beloved wife in childbirth, and which took more than a decade to complete. This structure, located in Agra, is known as this.
What is the Taj Mahal?