Persian empire ended in 680 when Arab Islam invaded.

Ottoman empire was founded in early 1300s and grew through that century. Constantinople fell in 1453. That lead Ottoman expansion into Iraq & today's Iran.

Sunni & Shia sects were well in existance by end 600s (Ali's 2nd son Hussayn's martyrdom at Karbala (now in Iraq)).

There is a 600 year gap in what we are talking about. Also this has little to do with the inital posts re a Persian Caliphate (there *never* was a Persian Caliphate - the cities of the Caliphates from 700ad to 1500ad were first Damascus, then the newly founded city of Baghdad then Cairo until 1517ad, but even under the Ottomans it remained officially in Cairo) ?

Cheers Doug

#2 found a very good link (thanks for giving me the incentive) this is a very good summary of the overall Caliphate & points out that the Ottoman leader Selim I assumed the mantle of Caliph in 1517 after defeating the remanants of the Abbasaids in Egypt that year. The Ottomans held the Caliphate until 1924 so that provides for a 400 year Caliphate after a 800+ year Arab Caliphate (certainly *not* a 1000 year Ottoman tenure). The Selim I link = [link|http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0809901.html|http://www.infopleas...ory/A0809901.html] (I am guessing you have inadvertantly mixed the Arab 800 year tenure with the later 400 year Ottoman tenure - easy enough mistake - this whole issue is extraordinarily complex - I won't even go into the line of 12 Imams of the Shia & the significance ot 'the 12th Imam' but it is rather fascinating).

#3 qualified founding of the Ottoman empire.

#4 corrected duration of Ottoman Caliphate (said 500 years but it was only 400) also clarified a few other typos & points.

#5 reversed the order of Baghdad & Damascus.



Below are a few quick links (can get more detailed stuff on Shia & Sunni)

[link|http://www.admin.northpark.edu/dkoeller/Classes/WHII/3MuslimEmpires.N.html|http://www.admin.nor...limEmpires.N.html] 3 empires
Explains Ottoman Empire well - 500 years after Sunni & Shia branches of Islam founded


[link|http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0860176.html|http://www.infopleas...ory/A0860176.html]
Explains Ottoman empire as 1400s


[link|http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/OTTOMAN/OTTOMAN1.HTM|http://www.wsu.edu:8...OMAN/OTTOMAN1.HTM]
Suleyman the magnificent (pinnacle of Ottoman achievements)


[link|http://campus.northpark.edu/history/WebChron/MiddleEast/Ottoman.html|http://campus.northp...East/Ottoman.html]
Another history - Ottomans - Constantinole

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Persia in 7th century becomes Islamic after being crushed by the Arabs
[link|http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761564512/Persia.html|http://encarta.msn.c...64512/Persia.html] (at bottom)


[link|http://gbgm-umc.org/country_profiles/country_history.cfm?Id=202|http://gbgm-umc.org/...istory.cfm?Id=202]
Mentions collapse of the Persian empire (at bottom)


[link|http://www.cyberistan.org/islamic/islmoil1.html|http://www.cyberista...mic/islmoil1.html]
Arabs and oil in the 7th century (good story)