The foundation of the Ottoman Empire primarily centered on the Asia Minor Peninsula, and the control exerted by the Sultan Government over other regions was clearly much weaker.
Especially after the Anti-Turkish Alliance severed the Sultan Government's connection with the local areas, the control practically vanished.
Loyal subjects were few, and in the face of cruel reality, the weaknesses of human nature were laid bare.
Seeing that the Ottoman Government was a sinking ship, those unwilling to go down with the empire began to look for ways out.
Baghdad was just the beginning; after the Austrian army advanced into Mesopotamia, there were countless incidents of people abandoning their cities and fleeing.
People are prone to follow the herd; once they saw the dignitaries and elite running off, the ordinary people naturally raced to do the same, and for a time, the Persian border was overcrowded with refugees.
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Baghdad, temporary headquarters of the Middle East War Zone
