This powerful, multi-ethnic Islamic empire ruled and united most of the Middle East from the 15th century until its collapse in 1918 at the end of World War I. The Empire was based in Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) and was governed by the Sultan in Istanbul. Its disintegration saw the formation of numerous quasi-independent states throughout the Arab world under French and British mandates, drawing what are still most of today’s national boundaries in the region. For details on Palestine under Ottoman rule, see Farsoun, Samih K. and Naseer H. Aruri. Palestine and the Palestinians, 2nd ed. Boulder: Westview Press, 2006.  http://www.justvision.org/glossary/ottoman-empire