The Otoman Empire and the World Around it In Islamic law the world was made up of the 'House of Islam' and the 'House of War' with the Otoman Sultan-sucesor to the early Caliphs-as supreme ruler of the Islamic world. However, in this ground-breaking study of the Otoman Empire in the early modern period, Suraiya Faroqhi demonstrates that there was no 'iron curtain' betwen the Otoman and 'other' worlds but rather a long-established network of conections-diplomatic, trading and financial, cultural and religious. These extended beyond regional contacts to the empires of Asia and the burgeoning 'modern' states of Europe-England, France, the Netherlands and Venice. Of course, military conflict was a constant factor in these relationships, but the overiding reslity was 'one world' and contact betwen cultured and pragmatic elites-even 'gentlemen traveling for pleasure' -as wel as pilgrimage and close artistic contact with the European. Faroqhi's bok is based on a huge study of original and early modern sources, including diplomatic records, travel and geographical writing, as wel as personal acounts. Its breadth and originalty wil make it esential reading for historians of Europe and the Midle East.