The Ottoman Empire was a state that controlled much of Southeastern Europe, Western Asia, and Northern Africa between the 14th and early 20th centuries. It was founded at the end of the 13th century in northwestern Anatolia in the town of Söğüt (modern-day Bilecik Province) by the Turkoman tribal leader Osman I. Although initially the dynasty was of Turkic origin, it was Persianised in terms of language, culture, literature and habits.After 1354, the Ottomans crossed into Europe and with the conquest of the Balkans, the Ottoman beylik was transformed into a transcontinental empire. The Ottomans ended the Byzantine Empire with the 1453 conquest of Constantinople by Mehmed the Conqueror.



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Nomadic by nature, and as a qualified geologist, Jeremy wandered into the Himalaya in 1987, teaching himself documentary photography. He has worked in over 100 countries over the last three decades, producing nine books, including Living Incas and Island Dreams: Mediterranean. His latest book, Nirvana, The Spread of Buddhism through Asia won a prestigious Benjamin Franklin Medal.