Selim I: Did you mean...?

The edges where the planks overlapped on a Viking ship were not left random. The contact surfaces, called the land, were carefully shaped, and even if they were not perfectly smooth, the seating line and the water sealing geometry were preserved...

When the hull of a Viking ship had been fully closed, the caulking line was checked again, and weak or poorly seated overlaps were tightened. A good boat revealed itself not in the first assembly, but in the second and third inspection.

Selim III (r. 1789-1807 CE) watching the parade of his new army, the Nizam-ı Cedid (New Order) troops, in 1793 CE.

Each new plank for a Viking ship was not fastened permanently at once but was first tested and clamped in place. Fresh oak was bent when necessary and allowed to settle. If the curve proved wrong, the piece was re-hewn and fitted again...

The work of building a Viking ship began by determining the type and purpose of the vessel. Whether it would be a warship, a cargo boat, or a coastal craft was decided, and the hull length, need for lightness, and choice of materials were...

The Great Pyramid of Giza is a defining symbol of Egypt and the last of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World. It is located on the Giza plateau near the modern city of Cairo and was built over a twenty-year period during the reign of the...

Caliphate (“Khilafat” in Arabic) was a semi-religious political system of governance in Islam, in which the territories of the Islamic empire in the Middle East and North Africa and the people within were ruled by a supreme leader called...

Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, constructed 532-537, continues to be revered as one of the most important structures in the world. Hagia Sophia (Greek Ἁγία Σοφία, for 'Holy Wisdom') was designed to be the major basilica of the Byzantine Empire...

Suleiman I (reigned 1520–1566), known in Europe as “the Magnificent” and within the empire as Kanuni (“the Lawgiver”), presided over the Ottoman Empire at the height of its territorial reach and administrative sophistication. As the tenth...

The Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt (1250–1517) emerged from the military elite of the late Ayyubid state and transformed a palace coup into one of the most durable powers of the late medieval Islamic world. Following the death of al-Ṣāliḥ Ayyūb...