Traditions and Encounters, 2/e

Jerry H. Bentley, University of Hawai'i
Herbert F. Ziegler, University of Hawai'i

THE ISLAMIC EMPIRES

Internet Activities: The Ottomans


1		http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/islam/1493janissaries.html Who are the Janissaries? From where do they come? Why would the emperors not choose this group from among their own people? What, if anything, does this practice tell us about Ottoman society?



2		Now read this excerpt from the Turkish Letters of Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq (http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1555busbecq.html). Who is this man? Why is he writing these letters? What does he think of Turkish society? How does he compare it to Christian society? What can this text tell us about either of these societies?



3		Now read this excerpt from AVisit to the Wife of Suleiman the Magnificent (http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1550sultanavisit.html). What does this observer notice during the visit? What can this text tell us about the role of women in Turkish society?

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