The '''Ottoman Empire''' was a multinational [[Sunni]] [[Muslim]] state which ruled much of the [[Middle East]] as well as parts of North Africa and the Balkans in Europe from 1299 until 1922. Its government, based in [[Istanbul]], was called "The Porte" or "The Sublime Porte". It was the predecessor of present-day [[Turkey]]. | The '''Ottoman Empire''' was a multinational [[Sunni]] [[Muslim]] state which ruled much of the [[Middle East]] as well as parts of North Africa and the Balkans in Europe from 1299 until 1922. Its government, based in [[Istanbul]], was called "The Porte" or "The Sublime Porte". It was the predecessor of present-day [[Turkey]]. |