In preparation for the peace conference that was expected to follow World War I, in the spring of 1917 the British Foreign Office established a special section responsible for preparing background information for use by British delegates to the conference. Turkey in Asia is Number 58 in the series of more than 160 studies produced by the section, most of which were published after the conclusion of the 1919 Paris Peace Conference. The book offers a brief survey of the history of the Ottoman Empire from its origins in the late 13th century to the rise of the Young Turks on the eve of World War I, along with an analysis of the complex political structure of the empire. A section deals with the efforts, ultimately unsuccessful, by Abdülhamid II (1842–1918), Ottoman sultan from 1876 to 1909, to impose greater centralized control on the far-flung parts of the empire, with particular emphasis on Arabia, Iraq, and the Bedouin and Kurdish problems. Concluding sections deal with the rise of Arab nationalism and the presence of minorities in Asia Minor, including Greeks, Jews, and Armenians. The study does not provide any recommendations regarding British policy, which after 1918 was very much involved in dealing with the breakup of the Ottoman Empire and its consequences.