Citrullus colocynthis - The bitter apple is a desert vine whose fruit, although small, resembles a watermelon. It is a hardy plant able to tolerate various patterns of precipitation, altitudes ranging from sea level to 1,500 meters, and soils ranging from sandy loam to sub-desert soil. The fruit is smooth, cylindrical in shape, bitter tasting, and averages between 5 to 10 centimeters in diameter. Local populations often grind the bitter apple seeds into flour for making bread.
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In 1299, the Oghuz Turks, under the leadership of Osman Bey, founded what eventual became the Ottoman Empire. Rooted in Northwestern Anatolia as a small emirate, the Ottoman Empire reached its apex under Suleiman the Magnificent during a reign lasting from 1520 to 1566. The empire stretched from eastern North Africa to the Caspian Sea and from the gates of Vienna to Mecca. When Suleiman died in 1566, he left an empire stretching over three continents with a population of 15 million people.
