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Seljuk territory. Once galvanised, however, the Ottomans moved with zeal. In an era of
destruction and dissolution, they provided an ideal that attracted legions of followers, and
they in turn embraced all Anatolian cultures. Their traditions became an amalgam of
Greek and Turkish, Islamic and Christian elements.
Seemingly invincible, the Ottomans forged west and expanded into Europe. By 1371
they had reached the Adriatic and in 1389 they defeated the Serbs at Kosovo Polje, effect-
ively taking control of the Balkans. The Ottomans neatly absorbed the area's Christian
communities, by recognising minorities and allowing them to govern their own affairs.
The Alexander Sarcophagus, displayed in İstanbul's Archaeology Museum (
Click here
)
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