Ottoman regiment banner up for sale in auction

LONDON

An Ottoman regiment banner believed to have been flown on a fort in Qatar at the end of the 18th century is to be auctioned along with dozens of other artifacts on Oct. 28.

The silk-made banner was very possibly captured in the Ottoman defeat at the Battle of Al Wajbah in 1893 by Qatari forces, according to London-based Christie’s auction house.

Various verses of the Qur’an written on it, the piece has a pre-sale estimate of 12,000 pounds ($16,300).

According to the auction house, a green-colored version of the banner is on display at the Sakıp Sabancı Museum in Istanbul.

The statement also emphasizes the similarity of the banner to a flag used by Turkish soldiers fighting the British in Gaza during World War I.

“Banners are very important parts of Turkish military history. I hope that sanjak will be brought back to the lands it belongs to and the souls of our martyrs will rest in peace,” said Süleyman Tekir, a military historian.

Defeating the Portuguese in the 16th century, the Ottoman Empire has dominated Qatar for a long time, while the administration of the peninsula was left to local sheikhs in accordance with Ottoman policy.

However, Ottoman soldiers that ensured the security of Qatar for many years against both Wahhabi and British threats were defeated by the tribes during a battle that took place in 1893 due to the self-ordained behaviors of a local sheikh.

Although Qatar did not gain full independence from the Ottoman Empire, the result of the battle is seen by Qatar as a defining moment in the establishment of Qatar as a modern state and the Ottoman’s rule was over in Qatar.

Measuring 150 x 162 centimeters, the banner is thought to have been captured during that battle.