Turkey

A fine Ottoman Iznik stonepaste dish painted with two birds among flowering plants in polychrome underglaze, ca. 16th–17th century — one of the most celebrated ceramic traditions in world art history.

From a small principality in northwestern Anatolia, the Ottoman Empire grew to rule three continents for six centuries, controlling the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa at the height of its power.

On 29 May 1453, Sultan Mehmed II's Ottoman army breached the walls of Constantinople after a 53-day siege, ending the Byzantine Empire and shifting the balance of world power.