Before the reforms of the 19th and 20th centuries, the state organisation of the Ottoman Empire was a simple system that had two main dimensions, which were the military administration and the civil administration. The Sultan was the highest position in the system. The civil system was based on local administrative units based on the region's characteristics. The Ottomans practiced a system in which the state (as in the Byzantine Empire) had control over the clergy. Certain pre-Islamic Turkish traditions that had survived the adoption of administrative and legal practices from Islamic Iran remained important in Ottoman administrative circles. According to Ottoman understanding, the state's primary responsibility was to defend and extend the land of the Muslims and to ensure security and harmony within its borders within the overarching context of orthodox Islamic practice and dynastic sovereignty. COUNT 5
QSN1 What was the highest ranked person in the Ottoman Empire until the 19th century? ANS1 Sultan was the highest position QSN2 On type of system were the civil administrations of the empire based on?  ANS2 local administrative units based on the region's characteristics QSN3 Who had control over the clergy in the Ottoman empire? ANS3 the state QSN4 What was the main responsibility of the Ottoman state as it relates to lands? ANS4 to defend and extend the land of the Muslims QSN5 What type of practice guided the Ottoman state in its responsibilities? ANS5 orthodox Islamic practice