It was the last Islamic empire in the world - a superpower with an area of one million square miles. Starting from its capital Istanbul, it matches the glory of ancient Rome. After six centuries in power, it collapsed less than a hundred years ago. Rageh Omaar began to explore why the Ottoman Empire disappeared from our understanding of European history. Why do few people realize the importance of Ottoman history in the Middle East today. And why you must understand the story of the Ottoman Empire in order to understand the root causes of many of today's troubles, from Palestine, Iraq, and Israel to Libya, Syria, Egypt, Bosnia, and Kosovo.