New
New
Year 2

Suleiman and the Ottoman 'Golden Age'

I can explain why Suleiman's rule has been described as a 'Golden Age'.

New
New
Year 2

Suleiman and the Ottoman 'Golden Age'

I can explain why Suleiman's rule has been described as a 'Golden Age'.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Suleiman loved art, poetry and literature, even composing poems himself.
  2. He spent huge amounts of money making his palace a centre for art and writing.
  3. Artists, poets and writers from all over the Ottoman Empire were paid to paint and write for him.
  4. With all these beautiful paintings and wonderful pieces of writing, this time has been called a 'Golden Age'.
  5. In the West, people have given Suleiman the nickname, 'the Magnificent' because of this.

Keywords

  • Golden Age - Golden Age means a time in the past when everything seemed to be good

  • Literature - literature is writing that is thought of as a work of art

Common misconception

Some may think that 'Suleiman the Lawgiver' and 'Suleiman the Magnificent' are different people.

Explain that these are different names used for the same person to remember different elements of his time as Sultan of the Ottoman Empire.

Students could look more at the specific stylistic elements of Ottoman art and recreate their own.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Select the buildings that Suleiman had built in Istanbul that are still there today.
theatres
Correct answer: aqueducts
Correct answer: mosques
Q2.
The Empire was the largest in history when Suleiman was the Sultan.
Correct Answer: Ottoman
Q3.
Suleiman was known as ‘Suleiman the Lawgiver’.
Correct answer: true
false
Q4.
A place of prayer for Muslims is called a...
church
temple
Correct answer: mosque
Q5.
Suleiman had a huge __________ repaired to bring fresh water into Constantinople.
Correct answer: aqueduct
river
road
Q6.
Suleiman built a mosque in Damascus which became an important stop on the way to…
Correct Answer: Mecca, Makkah

6 Questions

Q1.
Suleiman is known as ‘Suleiman the Magnificent’ and 'Suleiman the Lawgiver'.
Correct answer: true
false
Q2.
Match the keywords to the correct definition.
Correct Answer:literature,writing that is thought of as a work of art

writing that is thought of as a work of art

Correct Answer:Golden Age,a time in the past when everything seemed to be good

a time in the past when everything seemed to be good

Q3.
The time of Suleiman has been called a 'Golden Age' because...
there were lots of golden books.
Correct answer: there was lots of art, decorated buildings and literature.
there were lots of artists leaving the empire.
Q4.
Suleiman wrote lots of his own…
Correct Answer: poems, poetry
Q5.
The Book of Suleiman was…
Suleiman’s mother’s story
Suleiman’s sister’s story
Correct answer: Suleiman’s story
Q6.
Art at this time started to include lots of which flower?
Correct Answer: tulips, tulip

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