TEHRAN-The Persian translations of two books on the Ottoman Empire written by the Iranian-American author Mehrdad Kia, professor of history at the University of Montana. have been released in the market.

Translated by Ali Katebi from English, “The Ottoman Empire” and “Daily Life in the Ottoman Empire” have been published by the Elmi Farhangi Publications in Tehran, ILNA reported.

The Ottoman Empire was one of the most powerful empires in history, known for its military prowess, multi-cultural make-up, and advances in art and architecture. Positioned at the crossroads of East and West, at its height it encompassed most of Southeastern Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. In existence from the late 13th century until 1922, the Ottoman legacy can still be felt today throughout the Balkans and the Arab world in the areas of politics, diplomacy, education, language, and religion.

An Islamic imperial monarchy, the Ottoman Empire, existed for over 600 years. At the height of its power in the 16th and 17th centuries, it encompassed three continents and served as the core of global interactions between the East and the West. And while the Empire was defeated after World War I and dissolved in 1920, the far-reaching effects and influences of the Ottoman Empire are still clearly visible in today's world cultures.

Originally published in 2008, the comprehensive volume “The Ottoman Empire” is a valuable addition to world history curricula and adds a level of historical understanding to the current conflicts within the Western and Islamic worlds.

“Daily Life in the Ottoman Empire,” published in 2011, provides a general overview of the daily life in a vast empire that contained numerous ethnic, linguistic, and religious communities.

The book allows readers to gain critical insight into the pluralistic social and cultural history of an empire that ruled a vast region extending from Budapest in Hungary to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Each chapter presents an in-depth analysis of a particular aspect of daily life in the Ottoman Empire.

Born and raised in Iran, Kia is the director of the Central and Southwest Asian Studies Center at the University of Montana. He focuses on the history of the Middle East and Central Asia. Kia also holds interests in the intellectual history of 19th-century and early 20th-century Iran, the Ottoman Empire, and the South Caucasus.

He has published extensively on the emergence of a new intellectual class in Iran, which focused primarily on issues of political modernization, and social and economic reform. He has won numerous awards for his teaching. In 2000, the Carnegie Foundation for Teaching directed by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education honored Kia as one of the U.S. Professors of the Year.

Kia works with graduate students who study various aspects of Islamic civilization and culture, as well as those studying the rise of nationalism and anti-colonial movements in 19th-century and 20th-century Central Asia, Middle East, and North Africa. He is currently working with graduate students whose research focuses on colonization of Central Asia and parts of the Middle East by the Russian and British empires.

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