Enver Paşa’s belongings sold at auction

ANTALYA – Anadolu Agency

Most of the personal belongings of Enver Paşa were bought by museums.

The personal belongings of Ottoman soldier and politician Enver Paşa have been sold at an auction in the southern province of Antalya. 

The owner of Istanbul Auction, Uğur Yeğin, said 122 items, including Enver Paşa’s photos, uniform, hat, staff officer diploma, cutlery, medals, photos from the Libya and Tripoli fronts, military maps and paintings, as well as pencil paintings belonging to his wife Naciye Sultan, were sold in the auction. 

The auction was set to be organized in April but postponed on the request of the National Defense Ministry. 

Yeğin said 64 out of 122 belongings were bought by the Yıldız Palace Museum and the Military Museum affiliated with the Turkish General Staff, while the rest were bought by private collectors. 

He said the Military Museum bought the tools used in the wars and paintings, and the Yıldız Palace bought the belongings of Naciye Sultan. “A gold and silver inlaid sword, gifted by Sultan Reşad Paşa, and a Purdey gun went to the Yıldız Palace, too,” he said. 

Yeğin said they were pleased the items were bought by museums, adding, “People will be able to see the private belongings of Enver Paşa in the museums from now on.” 

Yeğin also noted the opening price for photos of Enver Paşa was 1,000 Turkish Liras and they found buyers for up to 2,500 liras. 

Who was Enver Paşa?

Born in Istanbul on Nov. 23, 1881, İsmail Enver was an Ottoman military officer and a leader of the 1908 Young Turk Revolution. He was the main leader of the Ottoman Empire in both the Balkan Wars and World War I. 

After the 1913 Ottoman coup d’état, he became the minister of war for the Ottoman Empire. Enver Paşa was considered the most powerful figure in the Ottoman Empire government. He made the decision to enter the Empire into World War I, on the side of Germany. 

He died on Aug. 4, 1922, in an armed attack in Tajikistan.