Question: which empire controlled the holy cities of mecca and medina in the 1500s
Answer: The Ottomans had two fundamental interests to safeguard in Yemen : The Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina and the trade route with India in spices and textiles , both of which were threatened and the latter virtually eclipsed by the arrival of the Portuguese in the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea in the early part of the 16th century .