Abstract:

The interest of historians in the Ottoman naval history is increasing day by day. Turkish and foreign researchers continue to address it from different perspectives. Especially those who can benefit from the Ottoman archives, as well as Turkish and English literature, fill a remarkable gap. Having said that, the interpretations and perspectives revealed by the studies using the secondary sources may lead us to consider the events and facts from a different point, too. Philip MacDougall’s book Islamic Sea Power During the Age of Fighting Sail promises different interpretations. The author has several books in the field of naval history, along with those that deal with different areas such as local histories and air battles. The aforementioned book, which focuses on the geography of the Mediterranean, addresses events between 17th -the mid-19th centuries. While it deals with the influx of Maghreb mariners and discusses their relationship with the Ottomans and their influences, it also indirectly discusses the British, American, French, and Spanish navies. The author examines the Ottomans’ struggle with the Portuguese in the Indian Ocean through the Red Sea, the naval activities around the Persian Gulf, which is very important for the Safavids and other Iranian dynasties, and the conflict between the Mughal and other Muslim rulers with the Portuguese, Dutch and British sailors in India, which basically covers the Islamic maritime affairs all the way from Arab lands to the Indian Ocean.

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