The Ottomans: Europe's Muslim Emperors - Season 1 - Eps 1: Roots of the Ottomans
Rageh Omaar attempts to establish how two parallel narratives have emerged from history, one that is commonly seized on to portray the Ottomans as religious zealots or bent on holy war, another that reveals an empire more ready than others to tolerate differences and driven by much more secular motives.
About The Ottomans: Europe's Muslim Emperors
Title: The Ottomans: Europe's Muslim Emperors
First Air Date: 2013-10-06
Last Air Date: 2013-10-20
Status: Returning Series
Rating: 4.2/10 (from 4 votes)
Language: EN
Seasons: 1
Total Episodes: 3
Network: BBC Two
Genres: Documentary
Production Companies: BBC
Synopsis
It was the world's last Islamic empire - a super-power of a million square miles. From its capital in Istanbul it matched the glories of Ancient Rome. And after six centuries in power it collapsed less than a hundred years ago. Rageh Omaar, who has reported from across this former empire, sets out to discover why the Ottomans have vanished from our understanding of the history of Europe. Why so few realise the importance of Ottoman history in today's Middle East. And why you have to know the Ottoman story to understand the roots of many of today's trouble spots from Palestine, Iraq and Israel to Libya, Syria, Egypt, Bosnia and Kosovo.
Cast
Rageh Omaar
Self - Presenter
