Editing Middle East (section)

=== The Crusades (1000 - 1300) ===
In the 1000's, the Seljuks (an amalgam of earliest Turkic migrants adopting Persian culture more than Persians...even though they started as Arabs' mercenaries...look it's complicated) started some shit with the Byzantines that ultimately ended with them sacking Constantinople. Between the eastern armies crossing the Hellespont and the blocking of pilgrimages into Jerusalem was the last straw for Christendom, and war were declared, whereupon thousands of ambitious princes, mercenaries, fugitives, and fanatics swarmed to Venice, got on boats, and proceeded to invade Jerusalem, intending to take back the Holy Land for Christendom from the Mohammedans.  

Individual crusades were met with varied success; the first Crusade successfully caught the Seljuks off-guard and led to the creation of the so-called Crusader States, which lasted for about a hundred years. Then a Kurdish warlord named Saladin who broke off from the Seljuks successfully rallied the people of Egypt and Syria to reclaim Jerusalem; following this, several more crusades were waged by Europe to retake the city, none of which were successful. Several centuries of war ensued, and while the invaders from Europe won the occasional dramatic victory, they were eventually forced away.

And as the stalwart defenders of Arabia stood on the coast of Palestine, watching the sun set on their retreating enemies, they suddenly heard behind them the cheers and horse hooves of a million GODDAMN MONGOLIANS. Who played everyone like chads and allied with whomever was convenient at the time until Baibars, a blonde Gigachad warrior-slave kicked them in the nuts and sent them fleeing all the way back to Mongolia. Baibars was a kid sold as a slave by Mongol raiders, bought by Egyptians, made into a Mameluk, then Sultan, ''then'' returned to go Doomslayer on Mongols(and started an Islamic Foundation (waqf) for [[Cat|Cats]] in Cairo). The thing is, the damage was done. Mongols had sacked Baghdad so hard the entire Islamic World had become shattered, never to gain cohesion like before. 

[[image:Constantinople-from-the-entrance-thomas-allom.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Lots of ottomans there, also some Ottomans. ]]