The Ottoman Empire and the world around it

In Islamic law the world was made up of the House of Islam and the House of War with the Ottoman Sultan - the perceived successor to the Caliphs - supreme ruler of the Islamic world.

However, Suraiya Faroqhi demonstrates that there was no iron curtain between the Ottoman and other worlds but rather a long-established network of diplomatic, financial, cultural and religious connections.

These extended to the empires of Asia and the modern states of Europe.

Faroqhi's book is based on a huge study of original and early modern sources, including diplomatic records, travel and geographical writing, as well as personal accounts.

Its breadth and originality will make it essential reading for historians of Europe and the Middle East. 'An illuminating book by one of the world's leading experts on Ottoman history'- Noel Malcom, Sunday Telegraph