I kid, I kid . . .

worth noting that the Ottomans had a custom of naming places and territories they conquered by the name of its prior rulers. So Herzegovina got its name because Stjepan Vukčić Kosača gave himself the title of herceg (or herzog in German) in the 1400s. I believe a year or two later he changed it to Herceg of St. Sava because a Serb Christian saint was buried in his territory. Supposedly towards the end of his life he was known as Herceg-Stjepan. "Herzegovina" literally means 'herceg's land' or 'duke's land.' It is also worth mentioning that part of the land is now with Montenegro. While many historians believe Bosnia is derived from Byzantine emperor Constantine VII naming the region after the Bosna River that runs through the heart of the region. It is likely Bosna comes from the Illyrian word "Bass-an-as," which in turn is derived from other languages in the region, that means "the running water." It is my understanding Bosnian is used to represent someone from that country regardless of ethnic affiliation. Although people from the Herzegovina region may prefer Herzegovinian. I guess my 3 years of Latin in middle school and high school and my 2 years of studying Eastern European history at VT is finally paying off.

the two terms (the Bosna River and the Bass-an-as = "the running water") have common ancestry. So while the Bosnians aren't named for the Bosna River, they both seem to come from the same root word. "While many historians believe Bosnia is derived from Byzantine emperor Constantine VII naming the region after the Bosna River that runs through the heart of the region. It is likely Bosna comes from the Illyrian word "Bass-an-as," which in turn is derived from other languages in the region, that means "the running water.""

little text has survived from that time period.

** Edited by HokieDan95 at 6/25/2026, 12:29:36 PM ** Edited by HokieDan95 at 6/25/2026, 12:30:06 PM

She was born in Jerusalem but during that time, it was known as Syria. By the time the Ottomans arrived in 1516, the region had already been called “Syria” by: Greeks Romans Byzantines Crusaders from Europe Arab geographers (as Bilād al‑Shām) So they kept the name that pre-dated the Ottomans by 2000 years. That being said, she was technically born in Jerusalem in 1847 so in reality, Jerusalem was was placed under direct rule from Istanbul after the Egyptian occupation (1831–1840) and rising European involvement in the Holy Land.

Ottoman Empire. It is one of the few empires in history that really fascinates me. It may even be underappreciated on its contribution to history by the West. At least it seems to get overlooked in school for various reasons.

so they weren’t really seen as a driver in 19th-early 20th century power politics, maybe that’s a factor. Their long existence also complicates the only the West are colonizers narrative as well. Let’s ask a Greek.

mentality. Particularly when you consider the appreciation for the Roman Empire, Greek Empire, Holy Roman Empire, and a few other "western" empires even though they ceased to exist a long time ago. Plus, there are other "eastern" empires that existed at the time as the Roman or Greek Empire and they are glossed over in the schools even though they influenced the West at some level. For example, the Ming Dynasty influenced the West in a number of ways. 1. Ming's switch from paper currency to silver-based currency sparked European maritime exploration because of the influence on the global silver trade. 2. Literature - mass production of affordable movable-type books which was adopted in the West and helped increase the number of books in circulation. 3. Porcelain Craze and the perfected technique was adopted at some level into western pottery.

(dates, people, places, etc.), they were also probably the most fascinating classes I took at VT. Particularly since the Cold War was still fresh in people's minds and there was a lot of "activity" going on in Eastern Europe during the late '90s. At least the really helped me put into perspective the underlying issues that were driving the various activities at the time.

From the Ottomans taking over, and then the Austrian Empire, that region was a powderkeg for a long, long time (see WWI). ** Edited by Chris Coleman at 6/25/2026, 11:36:31 AM

Very cheap, great food and fine, they love Americans and the views are better than Italy. Of the European countries of the "old Ottoman", that is my favorite. For the Asia countries, I love Lebanon and Georgia. For the African countries, I love Algeria.

** Edited by Lancelot Link at 6/25/2026, 3:02:51 PM

Next year I'm actually thinking about going further east with Prague and then Poland. I'd like to visit Auschwitz and the Wolf's Lair.

Really quite fascinating

But this place in Montenegro is nice in the summer... You will thank me later if you visit.

Not only because of my ancestry but I have lived in 2 of the countries that made up the former Ottoman Empire. Modern Countries Once Part of the Ottoman Empire Europe Turkey (European part) Greece Bulgaria Romania (parts) Moldova (parts) Ukraine (southern parts including Crimea at times) Serbia Bosnia & Herzegovina Montenegro Albania North Macedonia Hungary (central/southern regions) Croatia (coastal pockets) Kosovo Asia Turkey (Asian part / Anatolia) Syria Lebanon Israel Palestine Jordan Iraq Saudi Arabia (western regions including Mecca & Medina) Kuwait (periodically) Qatar (bordering influence) Yemen UAE (coastal influence at times) Armenia (parts) Georgia (parts) Africa Egypt Libya Tunisia (periods of suzerainty) Algeria (most of the coast) Sudan (northern regions)