The Ottoman Age of Exploration - New Books in History Giancarlo Casale

It was the Portuguese that opened up the globe by setting out from the banks of the Tagus and sailing around the world to create new markets and find fame and riches.  Only, when they got there they found that the Turks were already doing the same.  When Vasco da Gama first arrived in India after sailing around the whole of Africa, he met some Moroccans already there who spoke Portuguese.

An interesting podcast covering an aspect of history very few of us know anything about.

http://newbooksinhistory.com/2011/03/18/giancarlo-casale-the-ottoman-age-of-exploration-oxford-up-2010/