In 1221 on the plains of current-day Turkmenistan lay the city of Merv. The town faced a Mongol besiegement under one of Genghis Khan’s sons and opened its gates in the hopes of experiencing mercy.

Unlike the industrial powers of Europe, the Ottoman Empire was stuck in the past. Its economy was weak, railways and infrastructure were underdeveloped, and its army lacked basic equipment such as ...

Salt Research and the French Institute for Anatolian Studies (IFEA) have jointly made 41 rare publications and seven historical maps related to the Ottoman Empire and modern Turkey available online.

But when there is conflict, an exchange is inevitable — like when your car door dings someone else’s and a spot of paint transfers between the two. Such exchange is the locus of the Frist Art Museum’s ...