<Li> War of 1821--23 </Li> <P> The Ottoman--Safavid War of 1623--1639 was the last of a series of conflicts fought between the Ottoman Empire and Safavid Persia, then the two major powers of the Near East, over control of Mesopotamia . After initial Persian success in recapturing Baghdad and most of modern Iraq, having lost it for 90 years, the war became a stalemate as the Persians were unable to press further into the Ottoman Empire, and the Ottomans themselves were distracted by wars in Europe and weakened by internal turmoil . Eventually, the Ottomans were able to recover Baghdad, taking heavy losses in the final siege, and the signing of the Treaty of Zuhab ended the war in an Ottoman victory . Roughly speaking, the treaty restored the borders of 1555, with the Safavids keeping Dagestan, eastern Georgia, Eastern Armenia, and the present - day Azerbaijan Republic, while western Georgia and Western Armenia decisively came under Ottoman rule . The eastern part of Samtskhe (Meskheti) was irrevocably lost to the Ottomans as well as Mesopotamia . Despite parts of Mesopotamia were briefly retaken by the Iranians later on in history, notably during the reigns of Nader Shah (1736 - 1747) and Karim Khan Zand (1751 - 1779), it remained thenceforth in Ottoman hands until the aftermath of World War I . </P> <P> Starting in 1514, for over a century the Ottoman Empire and Safavid Persia were engaged in almost constant warfare over control of the South Caucasus and Mesopotamia . The two states were the greatest powers of West Asia, and the rivalry was further fueled by dogmatic differences: the Ottomans were Sunnis, while the Safavids were staunchly Shia Muslims of the Qizilbash sect, and seen as heretics by the Ottomans . </P> <P> After the Battle of Chaldiran eliminated Safavid influence in Anatolia, during the war of 1532--55 the Ottomans conquered Arab Iraq, taking Baghdad in 1534 and securing recognition of their gains by the Treaty of Amasya in 1555 . Peace lasted for two decades before another war began in 1578 . The Persians were hard pressed, as the Ottoman advances were combined with an attack by the Shaybanids into Persian Khorasan . The war ended with the Treaty of Constantinople in 1590, with a clear Ottoman victory: the Ottomans occupied Georgia, Revan, and even the former Safavid capital, Tabriz . </P>

What was the main point of conflict between the ottoman and safavid empires
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