The Gunpowder Empires

Three Muslim empires used cannon and muskets to build huge states: the Ottomans in the Mediterranean, the Safavids in Iran and the Mughals in India.

At their height under Suleiman, Shah Abbas and Akbar they were richer and stronger than any European kingdom, and great patrons of art: the Süleymaniye Mosque, Isfahan, the Taj Mahal.

By 1700 all three were straining. The Ottomans were turned back at Vienna, the Safavids fell in 1722, and the Mughal Empire broke up after Aurangzeb.