Skip to product information
Official Ottoman Document 1906 with Seal For the Benefit of the Hamidiye Hejaz Railway Mecca Hajj Saudi Arabia
  • Official Ottoman Document 1906 with Seal For the Benefit of the Hamidiye Hejaz Railway Mecca Hajj Saudi Arabia
  • Official Ottoman Document 1906 with Seal For the Benefit of the Hamidiye Hejaz Railway Mecca Hajj Saudi Arabia
  • Official Ottoman Document 1906 with Seal For the Benefit of the Hamidiye Hejaz Railway Mecca Hajj Saudi Arabia
  • Official Ottoman Document 1906 with Seal For the Benefit of the Hamidiye Hejaz Railway Mecca Hajj Saudi Arabia
  • Official Ottoman Document 1906 with Seal For the Benefit of the Hamidiye Hejaz Railway Mecca Hajj Saudi Arabia
  • Official Ottoman Document 1906 with Seal For the Benefit of the Hamidiye Hejaz Railway Mecca Hajj Saudi Arabia
  • Official Ottoman Document 1906 with Seal For the Benefit of the Hamidiye Hejaz Railway Mecca Hajj Saudi Arabia
  • Official Ottoman Document 1906 with Seal For the Benefit of the Hamidiye Hejaz Railway Mecca Hajj Saudi Arabia
Official Ottoman Document 1906 with Seal For the Benefit of the Hamidiye Hejaz Railway Mecca Hajj Saudi Arabia

Official Ottoman Document 1906 with Seal For the Benefit of the Hamidiye Hejaz Railway Mecca Hajj Saudi Arabia

$100.00

Official Ottoman Document with Seal For the Benefit of the Hamidiye Hejaz Railway (1906)

Description:
This is an original Ottoman-era official document dated October 30, 1906, bearing a distinctive round seal that reads: “Hamidiye Hicaz Demiryolu Menfaati İçin Mahsustur” (Designated for the Benefit of the Hamidiye Hejaz Railway). Documents like this were issued on specially printed and stamped papers sold by the state, with the revenue allocated directly to the construction of the Hejaz Railway.

Commissioned by Sultan Abdulhamid II, the Hejaz Railway was an ambitious infrastructure project aimed at connecting Damascus to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. It held deep spiritual and strategic significance for the Muslim world. To fund it, the Ottoman government turned to various public support mechanisms, including selling official papers and donation bonds.

This particular document records the receipt of a 350 kuruş salary payment to a person named Mustafa Bey. While on the surface it serves as a basic payroll receipt, the stamped paper it is printed on reveals a broader national effort: generating income for the Hejaz Railway through the sale of administrative stationery.

Key Features:

  • Date: October 30, 1906

  • Language: Ottoman Turkish

  • Purpose: Revenue from the purchase of the stamped paper supports the Hejaz Railway

  • Seal: Reads “For the Benefit of the Hamidiye Hejaz Railway”

  • Content: Confirms that Mustafa Bey received his full monthly salary of 350 kuruş

  • Historical Value: A rare example of how the Ottoman state creatively mobilized public resources to fund one of its most iconic railway projects

This document offers a fascinating look into how the Ottoman administration intertwined bureaucratic routine with national fundraising efforts, making even mundane salary receipts part of a much larger vision.

You may also like