Muslims in Europe: - International Institute - University of Michigan

The Turks and History
Use the following documents (The True History of the Turks, The Ottoman Empire, An
Eyewitness Account) to make a packet for the research team (or for all the teams or individuals
should you decide to do this project with the whole class). These documents can serve as the
beginning of a research project where students will collect more information and display it to the
class along with their findings. They can also serve as stand-alone documents for reading
comprehension and critical analysis.
Discussion Questions:
1. Compare the early Turkish nomads to the powerful state that the Ottomans became.
2. What was the means by which Turkish tribes became involved in the Middle East?
3. What distinguished the Ottomans from the other Turkish states that existed prior to their rule?
4. What happened to the Seljuks? In what way did the Ottomans pick up where they left off?
5. Describe Istanbul in the time of Suleiman. What kind of city is it?
6. According to the following article, with what kind of army do the Ottomans wage war?
Turks.tif source:
Foss, Clive. “When Turks Civilized the World.” History Today. Vol. 55 (8) Aug. 2005, p. 10
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