Introduction

The Ottomans: Europe’s Muslim Emperors is a 2013 BBC Two documentary in three parts presented by Rageh Omaar.

Outline

The series covers the origins of the Ottoman Empire; contrasts the empire under Suleiman the Magnificent with that of Abdul-Hamid II; and covers the demise of the Empire after the First World War.

Filmed on location in Turkey, the Balkans, Greece and the Middle East, The Ottomans: Europe’s Muslim Emperors examines the many sides of the dynasty of Sultans including the changing role of religion, its economic ambitions, social organisation and its relationship with non-Muslims.

Rageh will discover why The Ottoman Empire seems to have vanished from our understanding of the history of Europe and why its story is exciting global interest once more. Revealing how some of the most important yet unresolved issues confronting us today were also faced by the Ottomans, the conflicts between the Christian west and the Muslim east, the need to reconcile secular politics with religious ideology and balancing the demands of the clergy with the ambitions of the generals.

The first episode will discover the surprising roots of the Ottomans and the extraordinary speed at which nomadic horsemen, from a corner of what is today Turkey, became powerful rulers across three continents.

The Ottomans: Europe’s Muslim Emperors Series

• Episode 01: Roots of the Ottomans.
• Episode 02: Suleiman the Magnificent and Abdul Hamid II.
• Episode 03: Mustafa Kemal-Ataturk.

Production & Filming Details

• Presenter(s): Rageh Omaar.
• Director(s): Gillian Bancroft.
• Producer(s): David Olusoga, Mike Smith, Gillian Bancroft, and Faris Kermani.
• Editor(s): Tim Arrowsmith, Mark Elliot, and Ivan Probert.
• Production: BBC.
• Distributor(s): BBC (2013) and Polyband (2019, Germany).
• Original Network: BBC Two.
• Release Date: 06 October 2013 to 20 October 2013.
• Running Time: 59-60 minutes (each episode).
• Country: UK.
• Language: English and Arabic.