Silistria, Ottoman eyalet of

The Ottoman Empire is a world power when Suleyman dies in 1566.

Most of the great cities of Islam—Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem, Damascus, Cairo, Tunis, and Baghdad— are under the sultan's crescent flag.

The Porte exercises direct control over Anatolia, the sub-Danubian Balkan provinces, Syria, Palestine, and Mesopotamia.

Egypt, Mecca, and the North African provinces are governed under special regulations, as are satellite domains in Arabia and the Caucasus, and among the Crimean Tartars.

In addition, the native rulers of Wallachia, Moldavia, Transylvania, and Ragusa (Dubrovnik) are vassals of the sultan.

The administrative configuration of Rumelia (Turkish Rumeli, “land of the Romans”—i.e., Byzantines), the area now referred to as the Balkans or the Balkan Peninsula when it is administrated by the Ottoman Empire, has changed frequently, but in 1864, the unit of administrative division becomes defined as the province, or vilayet, which is in turn divided into sancak (subprovinces).

The Danube (Tuna) vilayet is formed first, in 1864, created from the northern parts of Silistria Province along the Danube River and eyalets of Niš, Vidin and Silistra.

This vilayet is meant to become a model province, showcasing all the progress achieved by the Porte through the modernizing Tanzimat reforms.

The Dunav newspaper appears, the first printed in Bulgaria and, published in the Bulgarian language.

Some Bulgarian schools are founded; a post-office, hospital, and home for the aged are founded; and the streets are renamed and numbered for the first time in Bulgarian lands.

Three empires meet here for trading: Austria, Russia, and the Britain.

France and Italy open consulates.