The Muslim Empires included three main powers: The Ottoman Empire, the Safavid Empire, and the Mughal Empire.

The Mughal Empire was founded by Emperor Babur in the 16th century. The greatest expansion occurred after the death of Akbar, during the rule of Aurangzeb towards the end of the 17th century. The downfall came in the 18th century when the empire fell apart, feeling pressure from outsiders and rebellion from inside as well. All three dynasties had things in common. These included Muslim affiliation (though there were two different types).

The Ottomans was the largest. The Ottomans rose to power at the end of the 13th century and controlled most of the area around the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea the Ottomans took control of the most important trade route into Asia. They also expansed outward into western Asia and Northern Africa. The empire was so strong due to the gun powder technology. However, they could not expand into Europe.

The Safavids were founded by Shah Ismail in the 16th century. They were affiliated with the Shi’ite Muslims, unlike the other two dynasties. They succeeded in taking over much of modern day Iran and Iraq. The Safavid’s were the smallest and strictest in their orthodoxy. Their strict religious values partially led to their downfall towards the end of the 18th century.

The major differences that existed among these states were that women had more freedom in Ottoman and Mughal than in Safavid Empire; and religious minorities were accepted in Ottoman and Mughal, but not in