Suleiman the Magnificent

Suleiman I (in Turkish Süleyman and in the Arabic alphabet ??????) (November 6, 1494 – September 5/6, 1566), known in Europe as "the Magnificent" and in the Islamic world as "the Lawgiver" (in Turkish Kanuni), was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1520 to 1566. Under his rule, the Ottoman Empire reached its zenith and became a world power.

Rebuilds walls of Jerusalem

By 1517 the Islamic Ottoman Empire under Selim I took Palestine from the Egyptian Mamelukes (1250–1517). The Ottomans had a benevolent attitude towards the Jews, having welcomed thousands of Jewish refugees who had recently been massacred and expelled from Spain by Ferdinand II in 1492. The Sultan was so taken with Jerusalem and its plight that he ordered that a magnificent surrounding fortress-wall built around the entire city (which was not that large at that time). This wall still stands and can be seen today.

Related Topics:
1517 - Selim I - Palestine - Mamelukes - Spain - Ferdinand II - 1492 - Jerusalem

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