where did the sultan of the ottoman empire live?
Constantinople
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 Sultan ‘ Abdu ’ l- ‘ Azíz of the Ottoman Empire 

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 Sultan Hamud was loyal to the British and acted as a figurehead for an essentially British @-@ run government , the sultanate only being retained to avoid the costs involved with running Zanzibar directly as a crown colony . Several months after the war , Hamud , with British prompting , abolished slavery in all its forms . The emancipation of slaves required them to present themselves to a government office and proved a slow process — within ten years only 17 @,@ 293 slaves had been freed , from an estimated population of 60 @,@ 000 in 1891 . 

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 The Ottomans quickly transformed the city from a bastion of Christianity to a symbol of Islamic culture . Religious foundations were established to fund the construction of ornate imperial mosques , often adjoined by schools , hospitals , and public baths . The Ottoman Dynasty claimed the status of caliphate in 1517 , with Istanbul remaining the capital of this last caliphate for four centuries . Suleiman the Magnificent 's reign from 1520 to 1566 was a period of especially great artistic and architectural achievement ; chief architect Mimar Sinan designed several iconic buildings in the city , while Ottoman arts of ceramics , stained glass , calligraphy , and miniature flourished . The population of Istanbul was 570 @,@ 000 by the end of the 18th century . 

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 Upon the death of his father , Selim I ( 1465 – 1520 ) , Suleiman entered Constantinople and ascended to the throne as the tenth Ottoman Sultan . An early description of Suleiman , a few weeks following his accession , was provided by the Venetian envoy Bartolomeo Contarini : " He is twenty @-@ six years of age , tall , but wiry , and of a delicate complexion . His neck is a little too long , his face thin , and his nose aquiline . He has a shade of a mustache and a small beard ; nevertheless he has a pleasant mien , though his skin tends to be a light pallor . He is said to be a wise Lord , fond of study , and all men hope for good from his rule . " Some historians claim that in his youth Suleiman had an admiration for Alexander the Great . He was influenced by Alexander 's vision of building a world empire that would encompass the east and the west , and this created a drive for his subsequent military campaigns in Asia and in Africa , as well as in Europe . 

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 With his main European rivals subdued , Suleiman ensured that the Ottoman Empire had a powerful role in the political landscape of Europe for some years to come . 
