#Abdul Hamid II

[postcard-from-the-past]

Villa Allatini, residence of the Ottam Caliph Abdul Hamid II during his custody in Salonica, modern-day Thessaloniki, Greece

French vintage postcard

[jewellery-accessoriesreused]

This Silver Necklace is worn on Meryem Uzerli as Hürrem Sultan in Magnificent Century (Muhtesem Yüzyil) 2011 and worn again later on Özlem Conker as Bidar Sultan in The Last Emperor: Abdul Hamid II (Payitaht Abdülhamid)

[leroibobo]

khan al-umdan (caravanserai of the columns) in acre is one of palestine's best-preserved caravanserai, a type of inn historically common across asia, north africa, the caucuses, and southern europe, especially for travelers along trade routes like the silk road. it was built in 1785 on the order of ottoman governer ahmed pasha al-jazaar (who also has a mosque named for him nearby). the clock tower was added in 1906 to celebrate the silver jubilee of sultan abdul hamid II.

khan al-umdan served as more than just an inn - due to its proximity to acre's port, it also served as a spot for merchants to store and sell wares. it also gained importance to the baha'i faith, as it served as a site where baha'ulla (founder of the religion, he was imprisoned in acre later in life) received guests, and held a baha'i school. many palestinians found refuge inside the khan during the nakba, but were later forcibly expelled and evicted up to the 1980s.

it continues to be used for events today, but not as often as it used to be. despite being a popular tourist attraction and designated as a world heritage site, the caravanserai has also been facing further neglect due to gentrification and has also been in danger of being dispossesed for quite some time now.

[joseandrestabarnia]

Atleta

Ya al comienzo de las excavaciones austriacas en 1896, se realizó uno de los hallazgos más importantes: en la esquina suroeste de la Palaestra del Hafengymnasium, se encontraron un total de 234 fragmentos de una estatua de bronce destrozada. El área de la cabeza y los hombros estaba bien conservada, por lo que el tipo de estatua fue reconocido de inmediato. Se trata de un deportista que se limpia después de un ejercicio físico, tal y como ocurría en la palestra de un instituto. Para eliminar la arena y el aceite con los que uno se frotaba, se usaba un στλεγγίς (strigilis), un raspador. El atleta acaricia esta herramienta (no conservada aquí) con el pulgar de su mano izquierda y la limpia. La instantánea aparentemente accidental de una persona recostada sobre sí misma apunta a un modelo del siglo IV a.C., así como a las características estilísticas de la estatua. Finalmente, se consideró que la estatua era una copia del famoso "Apoxyomenos" (el raspador) de Lysipp. Las estatuas de bronce de la antigüedad rara vez se conservan, ya que el valioso material se fundió en su mayor parte. A menudo "debemos" la tradición a una catástrofe como el hundimiento de un barco o, como aquí, un terremoto en el que la escultura fue arrojada del pedestal y aplastada por la caída de partes. En Viena, los fragmentos fueron remodelados por el escultor Wilhelm Sturm y atornillados a tiras de latón. Las piezas más grandes producidas de esta manera se montaron sobre un esqueleto de varillas de hierro cuadradas y la estatua se rellenó hasta el cuello con un cemento especial que se suponía que proporcionaría estabilidad y cerraría los defectos. En 1996, otra estatua del mismo tipo fue descubierta en el mar frente a la costa croata (Muzej Apoksiomena, Mali Lošinj). Este "gemelo" excelentemente conservado permite una comparación directa de dos copias en bronce y una reevaluación del sistema copista en la antigüedad.

Nombre de la propiedad: Estatua Cultura: Romano Periodo: Período imperial temprano Datación: Siglo I d.C., según el original griego alrededor del 330 a.C. Hábitat: Éfeso, Harbour High School, Palaestra, Selçuk, Asia Menor, Turquía Material/Tecnología: Bronce Métricas: 192 cm Derechos de imagen: Kunsthistorisches Museum Viena, Colección de Antigüedades Clásicas Nº Inv.: Colección de Antigüedades Clásicas, VI 3168 Procedencia: Sultán, Abdul, Hamid, II.; Excavaciones austríacas en Éfeso; Regalo al emperador Francisco José; Posteriormente inventariado en 1911

Información e imagen de la web del Kunsthistorisches Museum.

[gemville]

Emerald and Diamond Cufflinks Given To Tsar Ferdinand I Of Bulgaria by Sultan Abdul-Hamid II Of The Ottoman Empire In 1898

Source: dailymail.co.uk

[barbariankingdom]

Gwaschemasch'e Kadın Efendi, wife of Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II

[mamadkhalik]

Kita.

Khulafaurrasyidin, Umar bin Abdul Aziz, Thariq bin Ziyad, Nuruddin Zanki, Shalahuddin Al-Ayyubi, Ertugrul Ghazi, Osman Bey Ghazi, Mehmed II, Abdul Hamid II, Raden Patah, Sultan Agung Hanyakrakusuma, Pangeran Mangkubumi, Pangeran Diponegoro, Raden Mas Said, Pakubuwono X, kamu, dan kita.

[stephensmithuk]

The Blanched Soldier

Originally published in 1926; the Americans actually got this one first by a month.

I have covered the Boer War extensively in a previous post, but will add some notes on items directly relevant to this story.

The Imperial Yeomanry were a volunteer i.e. not career military force of mounted infantry formed in 1900 as reinforcements in the Boer War. They were disbanded in 1908 and merged into the Territorial Force, a precursor of what is now called the Army Reserve.

Mounted infantry were infantry that travelled on horseback and fount dismounted. They continued in use into the Cold War, with some units also being "mounted" on bicycles on both sides of the Second World War, before being replaced with mechanised infantry.

Middlesex was the traditional county that covered much of the North and West of what is now Greater London; losing a large chunk of its territory and population to the London County Council in 1889. It was abolished in 1965, but remains very much a thing for sporting and cultural purposes, with its own county cricket team being just one example.

A martinet is a strict disciplinarian, the name coming for a type of short whip. Arnold RImmer from Red Dwarf is sometimes described as such, although the character is clearly meant to be quite pathetic.

The Victoria Cross is the highest British award for gallantry, equivalent to the Medal of Honor and like that medal, frequently awarded posthumously. It also usually requires multiple witnesses to the gallantry in question. It trumps absolutely everything bar the George Cross in the honours system, and it is traditional for a private with a VC to be saluted by a general officer.

The most recent VC was awarded to Joshua Leakey in 2015 for his involvement in a firefight with the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2013, where he took control of a machine gun left on a hill and kept firing even as bullets ricocheted off the weapon.

An elephant gun is a large calibre rifle intended for use against elephants and large animals. They saw some military use in the World Wars by the British against armoured German snipers in the trenches of the First and by the Italians against British armoured cars in North Africa during the Second. Since ivory hunting became taboo, they are much less common.

Bedford is a market town in England and county town of Bedfordshire. It has two stations, the main one being located on the Midland Main Line running into St Pancras. Served by Thameslink, East Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway services, the last on the Marston Vale line to Bletchley, it is on the outer edge of the London commuter belt.

The other station at Bedford St. John's is served by LNWR services on the Marston Vale line to Bletchley, which is part of the former Varsity Line from Oxford to Cambridge. The station was resited in 1984.

The Sultan of Turkey - and the whole Ottoman Empire - in 1903 was Abdul Hamid II, a modernising absolute ruler who faced many assassination attempts and was ousted in a coup in 1909, replaced by his half-brother Mehmed V.

The Spectator is a British political magazine that has run since 1828. Being distinctly conservative in its world view, its former editors include one Boris Johnson.

"Squadron" was the traditional term for company or battalion sized cavalry or mounted infantry units. Outside of naval and air force use, it is now used for armoured units, which are frequently old cavalry units that just changed their level of horsepower.

Stoep is an Afrikaans word for "stoop".

Leprosy is transmittable by close contact, but you generally need a lot of it. It is still common in Brazil, much of Africa and India, but is now curable. Prejudice remains a big problem, with "leper colonies" still being common.

The general scholarly consensus is that it wasn't ichthoysis, of which there are many types. The NHS has more information here (with pictures): https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ichthyosis/

[tiny-librarian]

The other day I played the “Living People Related to Maria Theresa” game after a while, and remembered I once did that with Hurrem Sultan and thought I'd try it again, so here goes!

This is Roksan Kunter Özkan, she is a Turkish TV presenter, sports reporter, and media personality, and descends from Hurrem through her son Selim II. Supposedly her first name is derived from Roxelana, one of the names Hurrem was known by.

Roksan Kunter Özkan (Born August 10th, 1984) –> Ayten Sofia Nami Osmanoğlu –> Sultanzade Osman Nami Bey –> Ayşe Sultan –> Abdul Hamid II –> Abdulmejid I –> Mahmud II –> Abdul Hamid I –> Ahmed III –> Mehmed IV –> Ibrahim –> Ahmed I –> Mehmed III –> Murad III –> Selim II–> Hurrem Sultan

[venicepearl]

Hamide Ayşe Sultan (15 November 1887 – 10 August 1960) was an Ottoman princess, the daughter of Sultan Abdul Hamid II and Müşfika Kadın.

[orthodoxadventure]

Banja of St. Nicholas.

Banja Monastery in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, one of the oldest holy shrines of the Serbian land, stands close to the town of Priboj in the very heart of Serbia. The monastery dates back to the time preceding the Nemanjic Dynasty and the establishment of the independent Archbishopric of Serbia by St. Sava, the enlightener of this land. Today it belongs to the Diocese of Mileseva and is the home of a community of nuns. Its main church is dedicated to St. Nicholas (“Sveti Nikola”), and the Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God is attached to its south wall. The foundations of the earliest original St. Nicholas Church survive on the territory of the monastery as well. It is a monument of cultural and historic significance and is under state protection.

The year of its foundation is unknown, though a monastic community for monks existed here as early as the twelfth century. Its abbot was mentioned in the famous Studenitsa Typikon of St. Sava as a participant in the election of a new abbot of Studenitsa. In 1220, the monastery became the center of the Diocese of Dabar and the monastery was nicknamed “St. Nicholas of Dabar”. Later it became the headquarters of the Metropolis of Dabar-Bosna, founded by St. Sava. The monastery was of great importance under the Nemanjic Dynasty as indicated by the graves of some outstanding figures dating back to the reigns of Stefan Dusan (ruled 1331-1346) and his son St. Stefan Uros V (ruled 1346-1355). In the fourteenth century it also had the mausoleum to the Vojinovic family at the time of their greatest power. The present Church of St. Nicholas was built by St. Stefan Decanski (ruled 1322-1331) in 1329. As was the case with most of Serbian monasteries, Banja was repeatedly plundered and devastated during the Ottoman invasion and rule. However, in about 1570 the monastery’s church was considerably renovated.

In the nineteenth century the monastery lay in ruins for over twenty years until January 1899, when Sultan Abdul Hamid II (ruled 1876-1909) gave the Serbian people permission to restore it. The restoration work was carried out until 1905.

In 1974, a rich vestry was opened at the monastery. It is considered to be one of the best preserved and most complete medieval vestries in the Balkans. Visitors can see many church vessels and other items of the past centuries at this ancient monastery, namely crosses, patens, tabernacles and so forth.

The monastery derived its unusual name (pronounced “Banya”, which means “bath-house”.—Trans.] from the thermal (hot) springs on its territory, which are believed to have healing properties.

Text and Photography from OrthoChristian.com

[lgbtqiamuslimpedia]

Köçek (Turkey)

Köçek was a young effeminate, gender non-confirming person who cross-dressed in feminine attire, and was employed as an entertainer.Köçeks were recruited of several background and ways, such as by captives, slaves or devşirme (recruiting of boys from the Janissary corps) from the fourteenth to early eighteenth century.The culture of the köçek, which flourished from the 18th to the 19th century, had its origin in the customs in Ottoman palaces, & in particular in the harems.

A köçek would begin training around the age of seven or eight after he was circumcised and would be considered accomplished after about six years of study and practice. A dancer's career would last as long as he was clean shaven and retained his youthful appearance.The dances, collectively known as köçek oyunu, blended elements from throughout the empire, most importantly Turkish (like Karsilamas & Kaşık Havası) and oriental elements. They performed to a particular genre of music known as köçekçe, which was performed in the form of suites in a given melody.It too was a mix of Sufi, Balkan and Classical Anatolian influences. The accompaniment included various percussion instruments, such as the davul-köçek, the davul being a large drum, one side covered with goat skin and the other in sheep skin, producing different tones. A köçek's skill would be judged not only on his dancing abilities but also on his proficiency with percussion instruments, especially a type of castagnette known as the çarpare.The dancers were accompanied by an orchestra, featuring four to five each kaba kemençe and laouto as principal instruments, used exclusively for köçek suites.There were also two singers. A köçek dance in the Ottoman seraglio (palace harem) involved one or two dozen köçeks and many musicians.The occasions of their performances were wedding or circumcision celebrations,feasts & festivals, as well as the pleasure of the sultans and the aristocracy.

Portrait of an Ottoman Kocek

Koceks, often wearing heavy make-up, would curl their hair and wear it in long tresses under a small black or red velvet hat decorated with coins, jewels and gold. Their usual garb consisted of a tiny red embroidered velvet jacket with a gold-embroidered silk shirt, shalvar (baggy trousers), a long skirt and a gilt belt, knotted at the back. They were said to be "sensuous, attractive, effeminate", and their dancing "sexually provocative". Dancers minced and gyrated their hips in slow vertical and horizontal figure eights, rhythmically snapping their fingers and making suggestive gestures. Often acrobatics, tumbling and mock wrestling were part of the act.Köçek dance was performed in public spaces such as marketplaces,coffee houses,taverns & wine cellars.

Education was also provided to the köçek at enderȗn mektebi (the school of the palace) and only some were chosen to live in the inner part of the sultan’s palace. Others resided elsewhere and worked in the kol (in the guilds of craftsmen).

Decline

Despite its popularity, the kocek dance was controversial within Ottoman conservative religious and political leaders viewing it as immoral. As of 1805, there were approximately 600 köçek dancers working in the taverns of the Turkish capital.They were outlawed in 1837 due to fighting among audience members over the dancers.With the suppression of harem culture under Sultan Abdulaziz & Sultan Abdul Hamid II, köçek dance and music lost the support of its imperial patrons and gradually disappeared.Some köçeks dispersed to Anatolia and various Arab countries.

In Popular Culture

Today, the kocek dance is largely a historical artifact, although there are some efforts to revive the dance as a form of cultural heritage.The köçek dance exists in some parts of Anatolia, especially in the Kastamonu.Köçek boys are also sometimes referenced in popular culture, & has been featured in films, novels and other works of art that explore the history and culture of the Ottoman Empire.

There is a turkish movie Kocek, directed by Nejat Saydam.The movie follows the life of Caniko, a gender non-confirming gypsy, who struggles with his gender identity.

[daloy-politsey]

Like any weak, exploitative reactionary movement, Zionism can survive only by marketing itself to colonialists, as an agent friendly to any and all of them. British colonialism purchased it as a newborn—although the possibility of Zionism trying to sell itself to the highest colonial bidder cannot be discounted. In this manner Dr. Herzl, founder of the Zionist movement, did not hesitate to court the favor of Sultan Abdul Hamid II, an incredibly tyrannical ruler who tightened his grip on the freedoms and rights of his people, and [was] one of the most reckless rulers with regard to the life of his nation and sons of his home- land. Yet Herzl’s attempt failed. He then sought another tyrant—the kaiser of Germany—an autocrat who held human freedom and dignity in contempt. Having also failed to win him over, the founder of Zionism headed for British Minister of Colonies Joseph Chamberlain—or the so-called messenger of the empire—to satisfy his power craving. Dr. Herzl later showed no reluctance in proceeding to the minister of the interior of the Russian tsarist government—the number one mastermind of atrocious massacres against Jews—to ask for his assistance with the Zionist movement, which he readily gave, as it offered a way of excluding the Jewish masses from the country’s ongoing revolutionary struggle and curbing the “increased” number of Jews in Russia. [. . .] This demonstrates that Zionism is constantly at the service of colonialists and reactionaries, enemies of humans and humanity. As for the British minister of colonies, he had offered Zionists the Uganda region in Africa as a national home for Jews, but they rejected the offer during their 1905 Congress, insisting on having Palestine as their “National Home.” The reason for this refusal was the Zionists’ realization that their acceptance of the offer was likely to strip them of the power of manipulation and sorcery in the name of faith (with due consideration of the difference between Palestine and Uganda from the point of view of location, significance, and natural resources).

Yusuf Harun Zilkha, Zionism Against Arabs and Jews

[theveiledpoetesss]

“While I am alive, I would rather push a sword into my body than see the land of Palestine cut & given away from the Islamic Caliphate.” ‘I will not sell a single inch of the country, because it is not mine, it belongs to all the Muslims. They paid for this empire with their blood. And we will redeem it with our blood. Let the Jews keep their millions. If the empire is partitioned, they can get Palestine for free, but that will happen over our dead bodies.’ -Sultan Abdul Hamid II (May Allah have Mercy on him)

[zealousbouquetchopshop]

Sultan Abdul Hamid II Sholat Jumat di Masjid Hamidiye Istanbul tahun 190...

[radioeuroextasis]

La Maldición del Diamante Hope

Una Joya Marcada por la Tragedia

El Diamante Hope es una de las gemas más famosas y enigmáticas del mundo, pero no solo por su valor o belleza, sino por la oscura leyenda que lo rodea. Esta joya, de un intenso color azul, ha pasado de mano en mano durante siglos, vinculada a la desgracia, la tragedia y la muerte de muchos de sus propietarios. La historia del diamante está entrelazada con relatos de reyes, aristócratas y magnates que sufrieron penurias inimaginables tras adquirir esta deslumbrante piedra. El origen del diamante El Diamante Hope tiene una antigüedad estimada de más de mil millones de años, y se cree que fue extraído originalmente de la mina de Kollur, en la India. Inicialmente era conocido como el "Diamante Azul de Tavernier," llamado así por el comerciante francés Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, quien lo adquirió en el siglo XVII. Este diamante original era considerablemente más grande que la piedra actual y poseía un brillo fascinante. Tavernier, al regresar a Francia, vendió el diamante al rey Luis XIV en 1668, quien lo hizo cortar para realzar su resplandor. El diamante, conocido como el "Diamante Azul de la Corona," fue utilizado en joyas de la realeza francesa y se mantuvo en la corte hasta la Revolución Francesa. La primera tragedia real Una de las primeras víctimas de la maldición asociada al diamante fue Luis XVI y su esposa, la reina María Antonieta, quienes sufrieron destinos fatales durante la Revolución Francesa. El diamante, que había sido parte de las joyas de la corona, fue robado en 1792 junto con otras piezas de gran valor. La relación entre la ejecución de los monarcas y la desaparición de la gema ayudó a cimentar la idea de que el diamante traía consigo una maldición. Después de su robo, el diamante desapareció por varias décadas, solo para reaparecer en 1839 en la colección de Henry Philip Hope, un banquero británico cuyo nombre ahora lleva la piedra. Sin embargo, la tragedia continuó con la familia Hope, ya que varios miembros experimentaron ruina financiera y dificultades personales después de heredar la joya. Las víctimas de la maldición La historia del Diamante Hope está repleta de sucesos trágicos que parecen seguir a sus propietarios. Uno de los casos más infames es el de Evelyn Walsh McLean, una socialité estadounidense que adquirió la gema a principios del siglo XX. Evelyn estaba convencida de que podía neutralizar la maldición, pero su vida fue marcada por una serie de desgracias. Su hijo murió en un accidente de coche, su hija se suicidó, y su marido se volvió alcohólico antes de fallecer en un hospital psiquiátrico. La serie de tragedias en la vida de Evelyn fue vista como una confirmación de la temida maldición. Entre otros desafortunados propietarios están el sultán otomano Abdul Hamid II, quien fue destronado poco después de adquirir la piedra, y el comerciante Jacques Colet, quien se suicidó tras vender el diamante. La maldición es parte de la leyenda Aunque los hechos que rodean a los dueños del Diamante Hope han sido trágicos, algunos historiadores sugieren que la "maldición" es más una construcción de la leyenda que un efecto real. Las historias trágicas se agrandaron con el tiempo, añadiendo un halo de misterio a la gema que hoy descansa en el Museo Nacional de Historia Natural de Washington, D.C. Desde que fue donada al museo en 1958, la maldición parece haberse disipado, o al menos, no se han reportado desgracias significativas asociadas a la piedra. Un enigma perdurable El Diamante Hope sigue siendo una atracción mundial, no solo por su impresionante color azul, que se debe a trazas de boro en su estructura, sino por la oscuridad que parece rodearlo. Para algunos, su maldición es una prueba de las fuerzas sobrenaturales que pueden habitar en los objetos preciosos. Para otros, la historia del diamante es simplemente una combinación de coincidencias trágicas y el deseo humano de buscar patrones en el caos. A pesar de los esfuerzos por desacreditar la maldición, el Diamante Hope sigue intrigando tanto a científicos como a entusiastas de lo paranormal. Cada nuevo propietario que lo poseía estaba consciente de la leyenda, pero ninguno pudo escapar del halo de misterio que lo envolvía. ¿Es la maldición real, o simplemente el poder de una narrativa tan fuerte que afecta la vida de quienes la creen? La respuesta puede no ser clara, pero lo que es innegable es que el Diamante Hope seguirá fascinando a generaciones futuras, como un tesoro lleno de belleza y tragedia. Read the full article