The two-volume book covers six centuries of Ottoman history, from the formation of the Ottoman Beylik in 1299 to the proclamation of the Turkish Republic in 1923. This project is the result of collaboration between Turkish scholars specializing in various fields and periods of Ottoman history, under the leadership of E. .Ihsanoglu. The book was first published in 1994 (vol. 1) and 1998 (vol. 2) in Turkish, in 1999 (vol. 1-2) in Arabic, in 2001 (vol. 1) and 2002 (vol. 2) - in English by the Research Center for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA, Istanbul) and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). In 2004, together with the Orijentalni Institut, selected chapters from the book were published in Sarajevo in the Bosnian language.

The first volume tells about the political history of the Ottoman state, the organization of central and provincial authorities, the structure of society and the administrative structure empires. A detailed description of the Ottoman military organization, judicial system and economic life is given.