# data[].attributes.body
The picture above is of the hammams, or baths, commissioned by Hurrem Sultan, the wife of Sultan Suleiman, in sixteenth century Istanbul. Hurrem Sultan, or Roxelana, was known for her many contributions to architecture, religious sites, and the arts.

# data[].attributes.body
Samarkand, a city in southeastern Uzbekistan, is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in Central Asia. It flourished during the 15th-16th centuries under the Timurid dynasty, a dynasty of Turkic-Mongol origin descended form the conqueror Tamerlane. Their contribution to Islamic architecture and arts influenced the Safavids in Persia, the Moghuls in India, and the Ottomans in Turkey. The Registan is a famous example of this architecture.

# data[].attributes.body
Basra, a city in southern Iraq, was first established by the second caliph Omar as a garrison city. One of the earliest mosques in the world, the Imam Ali Mosque (pictured here), was constructed there in 665. It was conquered by the Turks in 1668 and became a major trading center.

# data[].attributes.body
Gallipoli is the original name of the modern town of Gelibolu in Turkey. It was the first Ottoman stronghold in Europe, and set the stage for their expansion across the Balkans. The Martyrs’ Memorial, pictured here, commemorates the service of over 200,000 Ottoman soldiers who participated at the Battle of Gallipoli, which took place from April 1915 to December 1915 during the First World War.

# data[].attributes.body
Karbala is a city in central Iraq, where the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was massacred by an army sent by the Umayyad caliph Yazid bin Mu’awiya in 680. It is one of the most important sites for Shia muslims, who make pilgrimage there every year on the anniversary of the event at the mosque of Huseyn bin Ali (pictured here).

# data[].attributes.body
Bukhara is an ancient Persian city. It served as a center of Islamic culture and learning for many centuries, and was the intellectual center of the Islamic rule during the rule of the Samanids. Many illustrious scholars lived and worked in Bukhara, including the famous scholar of Hadith, Imam Al-Bukhari, whose memorial is pictured here.

# data[].attributes.body
Tashkent is the capital of modern-day Uzbekistan, and is the largest city in Central Asia. It served as a center for trade on caravan routes, and was conquered by Muslim in the early 8th century. Pictured above is the Tillya Sheikh Mosque, one of the largest mosques in Tashkent, built in 1890 by a righteous merchant.

# data[].attributes.body
Konya is one of the oldest cities in the world. The famous Sufi Rumi, whose shrine is pictured here, lived and died there. It also served as a capital for a period of time during the rule of the Seljuk Turks.

# data[].attributes.body
Constantinople was the capital of the Byzantine Empire until it fell to Sultan Mehmet II in 1453, who renamed it Istanbul and made it the capital of the Ottoman Empire. Many great churches were converted into mosques, including the Hagia Sophia, or the Aya Sophia.

# data[].attributes.body
Damascus, Syria served as an important center for trade because of its location at a crossroads between Africa and Syria. It served as a capital of the Umayyad Dynasty, and the Umayyad Mosque of Damascus (pictured above), otherwise known as The Great Mosque of Damascus, is one of the oldest surviving mosques. It was built by the Umayyad caliph Al-Walid in 715 AD.

# data[].attributes.body
Salonica, also known as Thessaloniki, was the second-largest city in Greece and wealthiest city in the Byzantine Empire. It was conquered by the Ottomans in 1430 and ruled by them for 500 years. During this time, it continued to be a diverse and thriving seaport. Bey Hamamı, built in 1444, was the first Ottoman bath to be built in Thessaloniki.