Who are the Seljuk Turks? Ottoman Turks?

Question

Werent they both part of the Islamic empire?

Answer 1

There is no such thing as "the" Islamic empire. There have been empires that have been predominantly Muslim, but there is no unified Islamic civilization, let alone an empire.

The Seljuk empire (11th to beginning of 14th century) and the Ottoman empire (beginning of 14th century to WWI) were both Turkic empires that ruled over predominantly Muslim territories; other than that, they have little in common.

I recommend you find a basic book about the history of Islam and Islamic empires. One that might be good choice is "Islam: a World History" by Karen Armstrong.

Without any more detail to your question, it is hard to answer. One could fill books and books with the answer and never finish! Is there something specific you would like to know about these empires?

Answer 2

Most people, when they talk about the Islamic Empire, are talking about the empire after Mohammad's death, throught the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties.

The Seljuks might be considered of this empire. They came along towards the end of the Abbasid dynasty. The Seljuks came from the area known today as Turkey, and conquered most of the territory the Abbasid's ruled. However, despite controlling most of the Middle East and Persia, they publicly pledged allegience to the Abbasid rulers. The Abbasids didn't control much more than Baghdad and a few surrounding neighborhoods, but they were still the head of the empire in name.

The Seljuk empire declined, helped along by the Crusades and revolts in several places in their territory. The Mongols swept through the area in the 13th century, and divided what little was left of the Seljuk empire into small emerites. One of them, Ottoman, later expanded to become an empire.

The Ottomans slowly expanded at first, moving in the Balkins and neighboring emerites. In 1453, they capture one of the world's largest cities, Constantinople. Then they started expanding rapidly. They weren't stopped until they reached Vienna in 1683. The Empire went into decline after that, but it was still around until its defeat in WWI.