Encyclopedia of Islam

Ottoman dynasty

  

539  J

---

as Nusayris) and Twelve-Imam Shii religious 

authorities in southern i

raq

, particularly in the 

19th and early 20th centuries. Another form of 

Islam that flourished in Ottoman lands was that 

of the Sufi brotherhoods (sing. 

tariqa

), especially 

those of the n

aqshbandis

,  b

ektashis

,  m

evlevis

,

and Khalwatis.

The empire, above all the capital Istanbul, 

also featured a multiethnic mix of peoples and 

religions. The Ottomans incorporated the mil-

let system under their system of government, 

allowing different groups of Orthodox Christians, 

a

rmenians

, and Jews to practice their religions 

under their own leadership in different localities 

throughout the empire. Each community also 

maintained its own schools. When s

ephardic

J

eWs

 were expelled by the Christian rulers of 

Spain in 1492 the Ottoman sultan Bayezid II (r. 

1481–1512) issued a decree inviting them to 

immigrate to the Ottoman realm, and large num-

bers took advantage of the opportunity. However, 

whatever harmony had existed between religious 

communities and ethnic groups deteriorated with 

the rise of nationalisms and Ottoman repressions 

against rebelling minorities in the 19th and 20th 

centuries. The most violent of these was directed 

against the Armenians in the closing years of the 

empire during World War I (1915–17).

During the six centuries of its existence, the 

Ottoman Empire developed a unique culture 

shared by the variety of peoples under its sway, 

and arts such as literature, music, and architecture 

flourished. Since the demise of the empire this 

culture has been replaced by a series of ethnic and 

linguistic national cultures. Nevertheless, traces 

of the Ottoman synthesis can still be found in 

the culinary traditions shared by peoples living in 

the Balkans, Turkey, and the lands bordering the 

eastern Mediterranean, where stuffed vegetables 

(dolmas), skewered kabobs, yoghurt dishes, bak-

lava, and “Turkish” coffee are favorite items on 

the menu.

See also  a

laWi

;  b

osnia

 

and

  h

erzegovina

; 

caliphate

; c

hristianity

 

and

 i

slam

; 

constitUtion

-

alism

; 

Food

 

and

 

drink

; J

anissary

; J

Udaism

 

and

i

slam

;  m

Uhammad

  a

li

 

dynasty

;  s

elJUk

 

dynasty

; 

s

aFavid

 

dynasty

;  t

anzimat

; 

tekke

;  t

Urkish

 

lan

-

gUage

 

and

 

literatUre

.

Mark Soileau