Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Ottoman Period Seal Restored

Israel Antiquities Authority has a great new story:

The original seal of the sultan Abdul Hamid II, builder of Jaffa's clock tower, is now once again displayed on the city’s famous landmark.  The clock tower underwent conservation measures and engineering reinforcement 




and it became apparent that the original marble seal (tughra) bearing the symbol of Sultan Hamid Abdul II (ruler of the Ottoman Empire in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries) was in a poor state of preservation. 





Conservator Mark Avrahami performed the conservation and restoration work: a new support for the seal was created, the seal, which had faded completely, was accentuated utilizing pigments, and upon completion of the work, the marble plaque was returned to its original location two weeks ago.  


 According to Dr. Yoav Arbel, an archaeologist with the Israel Antiquities Authority, “The tughra first appeared as the seal of the second Ottoman sultan, Orhan (1326-1362 CE) and has since represented the sultans of the Ottoman Empire, as well as the kingdom itself. The tughra is a monogram that incorporates the sultan’s name, his titles, his father’s name and blessings, along with symbolic characteristics of the Ottoman Empire. It served as the sultan’s official seal for use on documents, public buildings, coins etc.”.  


I hope those desiring a restoration of the idea of an Ottoman Empire in Turkey appreciate this.

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