Mecca

Selim I, also known as Selim the Grim, reigned as Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to 1520 and oversaw a remarkable expansion of Ottoman territory. In just eight years, he expanded the empire’s size by approximately 70%, annexing strategic regions such as the Levant, Egypt, and the Hejaz, which included the holiest cities of Islam— Mecca and Medina. This territorial growth laid a strong foundation for his successor, Suleiman the Magnificent, to extend Ottoman dominance into Europe. Eliminating the Competition: Selim I, A Grim Conqueror Who Vastly Extended the Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire: 600 Years of Domination One of the central conflicts of Selim’s reign was his confrontation with the Safavid Empire, led by Shah Ismail I