Suleiman the Magnificent
At the time of Suleiman's death, the Ottoman Empire was one of the world's foremost powers. Suleiman's conquests had brought under the control of the Empire major Muslim cities (such as Baghdad), many Balkan provinces (reaching present day Croatia and Hungary), and most of North Africa. His expansion into Europe had given the Ottoman Turks a powerful presence in the European balance of power. Indeed, such was the perceived threat of the Ottoman Empire under the reign of Suleiman that Austria's ambassador Busbecq warned of Europe's imminent conquest: "On [the Turks'] side are the resources of a mighty empire, strength unimpaired, habituation to victory, endurance of toil, unity, discipline, frugality and watchfulness ... Can we doubt what the result will be? ... When the Turks have settled with Persia, they will fly at our throats supported by the might of the whole East; how unprepared we are I dare not say." Suleiman's legacy was not, however, merely in the military field. The French traveler Jean de Thévenot bears witness a century later to the "strong agricultural base of the country, the well being of the peasantry, the abundance of staple foods and the pre-eminence of organization in Suleiman's government".
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.