You will note that religions have emerged in the historical time only. You will also note that a section of people, in a few regions in the world, have accepted parts of nature as divine forces. Such considerations have begun in the pre-historic age and have gradually helped to shape formal religions in some places. The sun is still one of the gods to a large number of people in India. Pagan faith is still very much present in different parts of the globe.

The Ottoman Empire began at 1300 in northwestern Anatolia under the leadership of Osman and his group of nomad Turkish zealous Muslim warriors and grew rapidly to encompass the entirety of the Muslim world. Characterized by Sunni Islam, the empire began to play an important role in word affairs for over 600 years. Here is their long story summarized.

The Mughal Empire ruled India from the 16th century until about mid-19th century. At the height of its power, it controlled the present day lands of Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. Here is a quick overview of the entire empire – so that you do not have to read the textbook.

The real reason was to strengthen Shiites and weaken the Saudis and radical Sunnis.

A brief description of Afghanistan.