Guardians of the Holy Sites
‘For about 400 years the sultans paid particular attention to giving their generous support to the holy sites.’
After the Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 923 / 1517, the local rulers of Mecca offered Sultan Selim I supreme power over Arabia for political and economic reasons. Consequently, the two most important Muslim cities, Mecca and Medina – and with them the holiest places of Islam – became part of the Ottoman Empire, and the sultans took the title of Caliph. Thus, for about 400 years the Ottoman sultans paid particular attention to giving their generous support to the holy sites.
Painting

Hegira early 12th century / AD early 18th century
Ottoman
Uppsala University Library
Uppsala, Sweden
The holiest place of Islam: the Ka'ba in Mecca. The enclosure shows Ottoman influence.