List of campaigns of Suleiman the Magnificent
The imperial campaigns (, "sefer-i humāyūn") of Suleiman the Magnificent were a series of campaigns led by Suleiman, who was the tenth and longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. He is known in the Western world as "Suleiman the Magnificent", and in the East as "the Lawgiver" (), for his complete reconstruction of the Ottoman legal system. During his reign from 1520 to his death in 1566, the Ottoman Empire became the most powerful state in the world. At its height, the Empire stretched from Hungary to Yemen.
Safavid occupation of Basra (1697–1701)
Under Suleiman I's successor, Sultan Husayn (1694–1722), Iranian policy in relation to regaining Iraq did not change. According to Professor Rudi Matthee "this is hardly surprising", given that the Safavid army was weak at the time and the Shah himself was famous for his unassertive stance. Matthee does add that there is "great irony in it" given the "religious zeal" associated with Sultan Husayn. Unlike most of his predecessors, Sultan Husayn was a Safavid ruler who actively encouraged pilgrimages to the Shi'ite holy shrines in Iraq; Matthee thus adds that "during his reign Persian pilgrims visited the holy sites in unprecedented numbers". Sultan Husayn was also willing to spend resources of the Safavid state for the upkeep of the shrines in Iraq.