When many Westerners think of the medieval Middle East, the first thing that springs to mind is the Crusades. From a Eurasian perspective, however, one could argue that the Mongol conquests were of much greater and more long-lasting significance. Which of the two do you think had a greater influence on the Middle East? Justify your choice.
In the early sixteenth century, the Ottoman Empire defeated its two major Middle Eastern rivals, the Mamluk sultanate and the Safavid dynasty, and came to dominate much of the Middle East. How did a small beylicate in Western Anatolia rise to such a position of power? In what ways did it distinguish itself from other medieval Islamic dynasties?
During the Mamluk sultanate, the lives and religious practices of Jews and Christians came under greater scrutiny by the authorities and by ordinary Muslims who claimed the right to regulate public expressions of religion and the boundaries between religious communities. Explain why this happened and what its consequences were for non-Muslims and Muslims living under Mamluk rule.