Ottoman sultans’ edicts, Atatürk photos on sale in Antalya auction

ANTALYA

AA photo

The Antalya Antik Müzayede, an auction house in the Mediterranean province of Antalya, will hold a sale of two precious edicts by two Ottoman sultans, along with rare photos from the funeral of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founding father of modern Turkey, on May 15.

The opening price of the two one-and-a-half-meter-long handwritten edicts by Selim III and Abdulhamid I is 130,000 Turkish Liras, or roughly $45,000 each. 

The 25-line edict from the Abdülhamid I era is from 1786 and is about an interest rate-free debt tax for the family of a customs officials. 

The 1804-dated edict from the Selim III era is 15 lines and is about transferring some of the revenues in the northwestern province of Bursa to a person who serves Mecca and Medina, the two holy cities for Islam. 

The album of Atatürk photos - some 30 pieces - was prepared by Bulgaria and will be sold starting from 1,000 liras. 

Ahmet Muhtar Kızıltan, who runs a culture and arts center under his name, told Anadolu Agency that a sum of 429 pieces will be put on sale in the auction, which he expects to attract great attention. 

The collection also includes Ottoman and early Turkish Republic-era paintings, calligraphies and other works of art, he said. 

“Eski Gelin” [Former Bride] of late journalist and painter Fikret Otyam will be sold for a launching price of 27,000 liras. 

Another painting by Fausto Zonaro, the Italian painter who worked in the palace during the Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamid II era, has a price tag at 200,000 liras. 

The prices of Ottoman-era engravings and other objects range between 200 and 2,000 liras.