A snapshot of modernization under Abdul Hamid II

Mustafa, Hac Es-Sayyid. Cülus-u meyamin me'nus hilafetpenahi azamnn yirmi besinci devr-i senevi-yi kudsisi.

€ 3.500,00

Published in celebration of the 25th year of the rule of Sultan Abdul Hamid II (1876-1909), the last fully independent Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Abdul Hamid II reigned from 1876 to 1909; the twenty-fifth year was already in the final decade of his rule and the twilight of the Ottomans, but one would not be able to tell from the pomp and ceremony of the publication. Illustrated after numerous photographs of public works, newly constructed public buildings, military parades, artillery demonstrations from both the navy and the cavalry, new medical facilities, and new steamships (still outfitted with rigging) flying the Ottoman flag, the sultan's modernization campaign is captured from its most flattering angle.

Almost all the photographic illustrations have been captioned in handwritten Greek (and the Greek commentator has also helpfully numbered the final unnumbered page). Exterior wear, some closed tears, one instance of text loss. Provenance: 20th century Parisian private collection, kept in the family for several generations and dispersed in 2022.