As Istanbul it was the seat of the Ottoman sultans, rulers of a 500-year Islamic empire that stretched from the Black Sea and the Balkans to Arabia and Algeria.
The Ottoman empire collapsed for a number of reasons, but its collapse is largely seen to have been an inevitability by most historians.
mnli hypothesis: The Ottoman empire collapsed for a number of reasons, but its collapse is largely seen to have been an inevitability by most historians. premise: As Istanbul it was the seat of the Ottoman sultans, rulers of a 500-year Islamic empire that stretched from the Black Sea and the Balkans to Arabia and Algeria.