A Unique Collection of Ottoman Archives

: The tomb of Kanunî Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, Istanbul, 1817.

: An Ottoman Turkish coffee pot, 1800’s.

: The Ottoman city of Çorlu, 1800’s.

: Conducting business in the street, a bustling venue for sales, Ottoman Istanbul, 1920. This is a practice that has popularly continued into the present-day.

: The Ottoman ‘Şahi’ cannons used during the conquest of Constantinople on May 29, 1453.

: Camels resting outside the Fatih mosque, Istanbul, 1900’s.

: Ottoman Istanbul, c1850.

: On June 1, 1911 in Ottoman history, the Ottoman Air Force (Kıtaat-ı Fenniye ve Mevaki-i Müstahkame) was founded.

: A British map of the political landscape between Ottoman Istanbul and Burma, 1912.

: The first dig phase of the construction project of the Istanbul-Baghdad railway, Konya-Baghdad Line, 1903.

: Ottoman Istanbul, late 1800’s.

: Hejaz Railway, Damascus-Haifa line, early 1900’s.

: Travelling through Ottoman Syria, 1837.

: Süleymaniye mosque, Istanbul, 1800’s.

: 250mm cannon of the Mesudiye Ironclad battleship, 1876.

: May 29, 1453 in Ottoman history marks the conquest of Constantinople (Istanbul) by Fatih Sultan Mehmed, following a 53-day siege of the city. Sultan Mehmed II’s conquest which led to the fall of the Byzantine Empire was prophesied by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in his famous narration (hadith): “Verily you shall conquer Constantinople. What a wonderful leader will he be, and what a wonderful army will that army be!”

: Circassians in Ottoman Istanbul, c1900.

: Interior of the Sultanahmet Blue mosque, Ottoman Istanbul, 1890’s

: A grandfather and his grandson reading Qur’an, Istanbul, 1800’s.

: Topkapi Palace, Ottoman Istanbul, 1600’s.

: United States Embassy in Ottoman Istanbul, World War I.

: Ottoman gold coin from the era of Sultan Selim II, Baghdad, 1566.

: Sultan Mahmud Han’s II calligraphy with the saying of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in the first line: “My intercession will be for those of my community who committed great sins.” In the second line the Sultan begs for the intercession of the Prophet.

: Ottoman children, early 1900’s.

: Bazaar time in Istanbul, 1800’s

: The conquest of Constantinople by Fatih Sultan Mehmed, May 29, 1453.

: The Bodrum Castle, 1860’s.

: An Ottoman mosque between the columns of an ancient temple in Latakia, Ottoman Syria, c1800.

: The public procession of Sultan Abdülhamid II, Ottoman Istanbul, 1800’s.

: Selimiye mosque, built in Edirne by the Master Architect Mimar Sinan between 1568-1574

: A British map of the political landscape between Ottoman Istanbul and Burma, 1912.

: Ottoman Medina, 1850’s.

: Turkish women, Ottoman Istanbul, 1919

: Map of Vilâyet-i Kosova‎, Ottoman Empire, late 1800’s

: A picture of one of the most famed Ottoman photographers, Pascal Sébah (middle) sitting at the Fountain of Sultan Ahmed III, Istanbul, 1870.

: Ferik-i Evvel (Field Marshal) Hüseyin Nâzım Pasha, the Turkish Minister of War of the Ottoman Empire, First Balkan War, 1913. He was assassinated in the same year.

: Galata tower, Ottoman Istanbul, 1911.

: The Ramadan cannon being fired from the Tower of David in Jerusalem, Ottoman Palestine, 1900’s.

: Doctors from India (modern day Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India) volunteered in treating Ottoman wounded soldiers during the Balkan wars by serving in the Ottoman Red Crescent (Hilâl-i Ahmer), 1912. They arrived at Istanbul using their own personal expenses or via funds donated by fellow Muslims in India. This mission was led by Dr. Muhtar Ahmad Ansari. Abdur Rehman Peshawari (third row, second from left) was forced to sell all of his belongings to come to Istanbul. He continued to defend and serve in the Ottomans until his death.

: The Ottoman army led by the Grand Vizier Koca Yusuf Pasha advancing towards Sofia in 1788 during the Austro-Ottoman War.

: Ottoman Istanbul, late 1800’s.

: A poster calling for the unification and mobilization of Muslims to support the Caliphate during World War I, 1914.

: The Süleymaniye mosque, Ottoman Istanbul, 1680

: An Ottoman soldier, Istanbul, 1870’s.

: Illumination of Eminönü New Mosque during Ramadhan in 1811.

: Kaaba, Ottoman-era Makkah, early 1900’s.

: An Ottoman miniature of Makkah, 1800’s.

: Topkapı, Ottoman Istanbul, 1890’s.

: Ottoman guards at the Port of Iskenderun, Anatolia, c1800.

: Transport of Ottoman ships over land during the conquest of Constantinople, May 29, 1453. Done upon the orders of Fatih Sultan Mehmed, this military tactic has entered into history as one of the most strategic moves in military history.