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Ottoman Syria and Mesopotamia. Ottoman Syria and Mesopotamia refer to the massive Arab majority territories in the Levant and modern Iraq that fell under direct Ottoman rule starting in the early 16th century. By decisively defeating the Safavids and the Mamluks, the Ottoman Empire secured these immensely wealthy and strategically vital provinces for four hundred years. This era matters deeply because the Ottomans integrated these regions into a massive global economic network, standardizing the legal systems while allowing local religious minorities to govern their own internal affairs through the millet system.
For centuries, these provinces enjoyed relative stability and economic growth, though real political power often rested with deeply entrenched local families and ambitious governors rather than the distant sultan in Istanbul. As the broader Ottoman Empire began to weaken in the 19th century, European powers began heavily interfering in the region's economy and politics. The centuries of Ottoman control finally ended completely during the chaos of World War I. Following the war, Britain and France arbitrarily partitioned these territories into artificial modern nation states.