Osman, the founder of the Ottoman Empire, had a dream in which a tree sprouted from his navel. As the tree grew, its shade covered the earth; as Osman’s empire grew, it, too, covered the earth. This is the most widely accepted foundation myth of the longest-lasting empire in the history of Islam, and offers a telling clue to its unique legacy. Underlying every aspect of the Ottoman Empire’s epic history-from its founding around 1300 to its end in the twentieth century-is its successful management of natural resources. Under Osman’s Tree analyzes this rich environmental history to understand the most remarkable qualities of the Ottoman Empire-its longevity, politics, economy, and society. The early modern Middle East was the world s most crucial zone of connection and interaction. Accordingly, the Ottoman Empire s many varied environments affected and were affected by global trade, climate, and disease. From down in the mud of Egypt s canals to up in the treetops of Anatolia, Alan Mikhail tackles major aspects of the Middle East s environmental history: natural resource management, climate, human and animal labor, energy, water control, disease, and politics. He also points to some of the ways in which the region s dominant religious tradition, Islam, has understood and related to the natural world. Marrying environmental and Ottoman history, Under Osman s Tree offers a bold new interpretation of the past five hundred years of Middle Eastern history.
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