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Ottoman 1913 Official Document with Hejaz Railway donation stamp Muslim
  • Ottoman 1913 Official Document with Hejaz Railway donation stamp Muslim
  • Ottoman 1913 Official Document with Hejaz Railway donation stamp Muslim
  • Ottoman 1913 Official Document with Hejaz Railway donation stamp Muslim
  • Ottoman 1913 Official Document with Hejaz Railway donation stamp Muslim
  • Ottoman 1913 Official Document with Hejaz Railway donation stamp Muslim
  • Ottoman 1913 Official Document with Hejaz Railway donation stamp Muslim
  • Ottoman 1913 Official Document with Hejaz Railway donation stamp Muslim
  • Ottoman 1913 Official Document with Hejaz Railway donation stamp Muslim
  • Ottoman 1913 Official Document with Hejaz Railway donation stamp Muslim
  • Ottoman 1913 Official Document with Hejaz Railway donation stamp Muslim
Ottoman 1913 Official Document with Hejaz Railway donation stamp Muslim

Ottoman 1913 Official Document with Hejaz Railway donation stamp Muslim

$90.00

Ottoman Official Document with Hejaz Railway Revenue Stamp, 1913

Description:
An original Ottoman official document bearing a rare Hejaz Railway revenue stamp (soğuk damga), valued at 20 para, dated 12 Teşrin-i Evvel 1329 (25 October 1913).

The heading reads: “Resmi dairelerden Osmanlı askerine verilecek pusuladır” (“This is the note to be issued from official offices to Ottoman soldiers”). The issuing authority is specified as the Hüdavendigar Province (Bursa) – Document Office, and it was addressed to the Kütahya Mutasarrıflığı, written on behalf of the Directorate of Finance for Special Allocations (Tahrirat-ı maliye-i muhassasat-ı zatiyye-i müdüriyet). Such documents were used to record and register official correspondences between state offices and military personnel, each entry being assigned a registration number.

The most remarkable feature of this piece is the inclusion of the Hejaz Railway donation stamp. Sultan Abdulhamid II initiated the construction of the Hejaz Railway (1900–1908) to connect Damascus to Medina, not only as a major infrastructure project but also as a symbolic link to Islam’s holy cities. The project was financed largely through voluntary donations from Muslims across the Ottoman Empire and beyond, emphasizing the religious and political importance of the railway.

This document is therefore not only an example of Ottoman bureaucratic practice but also a testimony to how state correspondence was used as a medium to raise funds for the Hejaz Railway one of the most significant projects of the late Ottoman period. For collectors, it represents a rare convergence of official Ottoman administration and Islamic heritage.

Key Features:

  • Type: Official Ottoman state document (Resmi yazı)

  • Date: 12 Teşrin-i Evvel 1329 (25 October 1913)

  • Issuing Office: Hüdavendigar Province Document Office

  • Recipient: Kütahya Mutasarrıflığı

  • Authority: Directorate of Finance for Special Allocations

  • Stamp: Hejaz Railway revenue stamp (ianesi soğuk damga), 20 para value

  • Purpose: Record and registration of official correspondences with military personnel

  • Historical Significance: Demonstrates how state paperwork also served as a fundraising mechanism for the Hejaz Railway, highlighting the project’s symbolic importance for the Muslim world

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