Question

Which statements describe conflicts between the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal Empires? Choose three correct answers.

The Safavids were Shia Muslims, while the other two empires consisted of Sunni Muslims
The Safavids and the Ottomans competed for control over lands in Mesopotamia.
The Ottomans and Mughals went to war because of their shared borders.
The three empires shared the same perspective about how Islam should be governed.
The Mughals and the Safavids competed for control over lands in Persia and India.

Answer 1

Correct answers:
- The Safavids were Shia Muslims, while the other two empires consisted of Sunni Muslims.
- The Safavid state adopted Twelver Shiʿism as its official creed; the Ottomans and Mughals were primarily Sunni.
- The Safavids and the Ottomans competed for control over lands in Mesopotamia.
- They fought repeatedly (e.g., Chaldiran and later wars) over eastern Anatolia and Mesopotamian territories (Iraq).
- The Mughals and the Safavids competed for control over lands in Persia and India.
- They clashed over frontier regions such as Kandahar and influence in eastern Persia/Afghanistan and northwestern India.

The other two statements are incorrect: the Ottomans and Mughals did not wage major wars over a long shared border, and the three empires did not share the same view on Islamic governance.