Rumeli (Turkish: Rum: Greek (formerly 'Eastern Roman'); El: Land Rumeli: Land of the Romans http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9064407/Rumelia Encyclopaedia Britannica - Rumelia; , Roúmeli; , Rumeliya), a name commonly used from the 15th century onwards denoting the southern Balkan regions of the Ottoman Empire. However, the word "Rumeli" literally translates as "land of the Romans", in reference to the Byzantine Empire, the former dominant power in the area. During the 11th and 12th centuries it was widely used for Anatolia while it was gradually being conquered from the Byzantines.