Donanma Mecmuası 1915 Ottoman Navy Mag WW1 Mawlid Procession Rusian Prisoners Prophet Muhammad Erzurum
Donanma Mecmuası – “The Imperial Mawlid Procession, Mevlevi Volunteer Battalion and Russian Prisoners of War” – Issue No. 33 – February 15, 1915 – Ottoman Turkish Edition
Description:
Donanma Mecmuası was one of the most significant military and cultural periodicals of the late Ottoman Empire. Published between 1910 and 1919, with occasional interruptions, it served as the official publication of the Ottoman Naval Association (Donanma Cemiyeti), an organisation established to strengthen the declining Ottoman Navy through public financial and moral support. The magazine aimed to promote maritime awareness, encourage public donations, report on international developments in naval and aviation technology, and document the achievements of the Ottoman military and navy through articles, photographs and illustrations. During the First World War, it also became an important medium for presenting military events, religious ceremonies and patriotic wartime narratives.
The inside cover of this February 15, 1915 issue, No. 33, features a photograph of the magnificent imperial Mawlid procession (Mevlid-i Nebevi Alay-ı Valası), held in honour of the Prophet Muhammad's birthday and attended personally by the Ottoman Sultan and members of the Council of Ministers. Another photographic feature, titled “The Sacred Guides of the Army of Jihad”, depicts soldiers from the Mevlevi Volunteer Battalion participating in the grand religious procession. These photographs document significant religious and ceremonial traditions of the late Ottoman Empire, reflecting the close relationship between the Ottoman state, religious institutions and military mobilisation during wartime.
Several other photographs and articles focus on the First World War and the Ottoman military campaigns. One image, captioned “A Victory Memorial”, shows a convoy of 650 Russian prisoners of war captured on the battlefield and brought to Erzurum, photographed in front of the Erzurum Government House before being sent to Erzincan. Another photographic report documents two rapid-fire guns captured as booty from Russian forces and transported to Erzurum. Identified as British-pattern weapons, the guns are shown with their wheels and a supply of 66 shrapnel shells in front of the military headquarters. The issue also includes critical articles about the Russian army under the heading “The True Nature of the Russian Army”, alongside coverage of the war between Britain and Germany. Together, these articles and photographs offer a fascinating insight into Ottoman wartime reporting, military propaganda, religious ceremonies, captured military equipment and the naval and international affairs of 1915.
Key Features:
• Publication: Donanma Mecmuası
• Issue Number: 33
• Publication Date: February 15, 1915
• Language: Ottoman Turkish
• Publication Period: 1910–1919
• Publication Background: Official periodical of the Ottoman Naval Association (Donanma Cemiyeti)
• Editorial Focus: Ottoman naval history, military affairs, maritime technology, aviation, religious ceremonies and international politics
• Inside Cover Photograph: The Imperial Mawlid Procession (Mevlid-i Nebevi Alay-ı Valası), attended by the Ottoman Sultan and members of the Council of Ministers
• Religious and Military History: Photographs of soldiers from the Mevlevi Volunteer Battalion participating in the grand Mawlid procession, under the heading “The Sacred Guides of the Army of Jihad”
• First World War – Russian Prisoners: A photographic record of 650 Russian prisoners of war brought to Erzurum and subsequently sent to Erzincan, photographed in front of the Erzurum Government House
• Captured Military Equipment: Two rapid-fire guns captured from Russian forces and displayed in front of the military headquarters in Erzurum
• Military Photography: Images of British-pattern guns, their wheels and 66 shrapnel shells
• Russian Military Coverage: Critical contemporary articles concerning the Russian army under the heading “The True Nature of the Russian Army”
• International Military Affairs: Coverage of the war between Britain and Germany
• Ottoman Religious Heritage: Documentation of the imperial Mawlid ceremony and the participation of the Mevlevi order in wartime religious activities
• Historical Interest: An original First World War Ottoman periodical featuring rare photographs of imperial religious ceremonies, Mevlevi soldiers, Russian prisoners of war and captured artillery, together with contemporary military and international reporting