How well do you know the Ottoman Empire?
The Ottoman Empire lasted for over six centuries. These six questions, from easy to hard, focus on its architecture, science and culture.
Did you know?
- Piri Reis's world map of 1513, drawn on gazelle-skin parchment, is one of the oldest surviving maps to show parts of the Americas. Only a fragment survives, kept at Topkapı Palace.
- Ottoman marbled paper, ebru, is made by sprinkling colours onto thickened water and transferring the pattern to paper. The art form was added to UNESCO's intangible heritage list in 2014.
- The Süleymaniye Mosque complex, designed by Sinan, included schools, a hospital, a library, a public kitchen and baths. Such complexes served the community as well as religious purposes.
A crossroads of cultures
The Ottoman Empire began around 1300 in northwest Anatolia and lasted until 1922. Spanning parts of Europe, Asia and Africa, it brought together many peoples, languages and faiths. Its lasting legacy can be seen today in architecture, cuisine, music, crafts and words shared across the Balkans, Middle East and beyond.
Architecture of domes
Ottoman architects developed a distinctive style of domes and slender minarets. Sinan perfected the use of a large central dome supported by half-domes and buttresses, creating vast, light-filled interiors. His buildings influenced architecture across the empire.
Arts and crafts
Ottoman artists excelled in calligraphy, miniature painting, tile-making and marbled paper called ebru. İznik tiles, with their vivid blues, reds and greens, decorated palaces and public buildings and are prized by collectors today.
Science and scholarship
Ottoman scholars studied astronomy, medicine, mathematics and geography, building on earlier Islamic science. Piri Reis produced a famous world map in 1513, and hospitals in cities such as Edirne were known for using music and water sounds in treatment.
Everyday life and coffeehouses
Coffeehouses appeared in Istanbul in the 16th century and became places for conversation, storytelling, music and games. The custom later spread to Europe, where coffeehouses became important social spaces.
Legacy in language and food
Many words in Balkan and Middle Eastern languages come from Ottoman Turkish, and dishes such as baklava, dolma and börek are shared across the region. This shared heritage shows how the empire connected diverse cultures for centuries.
Music and the arts of the city
Ottoman classical music developed a rich system of melodic modes called makams, played on instruments such as the ney flute, oud and kanun. Musicians performed at the palace, in dervish lodges and at public gatherings. Shadow puppet theatre, known as Karagöz, entertained audiences with humorous stories, and it was added to UNESCO's list of intangible heritage in 2009.