History News Network

Ottoman Empire

Originally published 09/26/2013
Search for Suleiman's heart reveals a whole town

Researchers in Hungary looking for the tomb of Suleiman the Magnificent have uncovered instead traces of a whole Ottoman era town.

Originally published 09/06/2013
Obama Assures Americans This Will Not Be Another 1456 Ottoman Siege Of Belgrade

Editor's note: We're well aware this is from The Onion.

Originally published 09/05/2013
The search for Suleiman the Magnificent's heart

The Ottoman ruler's body is buried in Istanbul, but his heart is (reputedly) buried in Hungary

Originally published 06/11/2013
Ottoman History at Stake in Taksim Square

Credit: Wiki Commons.In November of 2012, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reacted to criticism of the planned renovation to Taksim Square in central Istanbul by invoking history. "We are working to bring back history that has been destroyed," he said this week, in reference to the demolition of the barracks in 1940. "We will unite Taksim with its history."

Originally published 05/01/2013
Archaeology strains German-Turkish relations

An argument between Germany and Turkey about ancient treasures is escalating. Turkey wants its treasures back, but German archaeologists say Turkish sites are being exploited for tourism.Archaeology often has a lot to do with politics - the current argument between Germany and Turkey is a prime example. Hermann Parzinger, head of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, last December accused Turkey of displaying "almost chauvinistic behavior." In reply, the Turkish culture minister Ömer Celik told German news magazine "Der Spiegel" that he demanded an apology, and he asked for five ancient objects to be returned that are currently shown in museums in Berlin. He claims they were taken out of Turkey illegally. Parzinger rejects any accusations of illegality for three of these objects: In December 2012, he said that the torso of the Fisherman of Aphrodisias, the sarcophagus from the Haci Ibrahim Veli tomb and a 13th-century prayer niche were all acquired legally.

Originally published 11/24/2008
Why Is Our Thanksgiving Bird Called a Turkey?

Answer: Because the Turks were the first Old Worlders to domesticate the bird.

Originally published 07/18/2014
Obama Wants to Close the Oceans. Privatize Instead!

In June, President Obama made a video announcement at the Our Ocean 2014 Conference, sponsored by the Department of State. He declared, “Like Presidents Clinton and Bush before me, I’m going to use my authority as President to protect some of our most precious marine landscapes just as we do for our mountains and rivers and forests.… [T]he United States is leading the fight to protect the world’s oceans.”The statement foreshadowed a new executive order which would place a huge swath of the Pacific Ocean under control of the U.S. federal government. According to the Washington Post, the aggressive program is scheduled to begin later this year “after a comment period.” It “could create the world’s largest marine sanctuary and double the area of ocean globally that is fully protected.” Other executive measures would address related issues, some of which would be domestic in scope.Obama’s stated purpose is to protect the ocean from threats such as pollution, climate change, oil drilling, and overfishing. His executive order will achieve the opposite. Anyone who wishes to protect the ocean should move to privatize it as extensively and as quickly as possible.

Originally published 10/31/2013
Critics of Spying on Allies Need a Better Narrative

The narrative that critics rely on now only reinforces the administration's own story.