Turkey Find from Turkey

[RedMaestro]

Hi All,

I returned from Turkey and Greece more than a month ago, but I am just getting around to posting this. While in Istanbul I visited the shop of fellow forum member Avsar Ibar and purchased from him this Ottoman medal for the 1897 war against Greece (I would highly recommend Avsar, by the way).

A description from Turkishmedals.net:

"Greek War (Yunan Harbi) 1897 This medal was awarded for the 30 day war with Greece in 1897. After Greece had come within a breath of invading Crete, prevented only by mediation from the Western powers, groups of militant Greeks went to Crete to fight a guerilla war against the Turkish government there. At the same time, another Greek army led by Price Constantine of Greece invaded Turkish territory near Ioannina. This gave the Sultan ample justification for a declaration of war, and a Turkish force from Monastir pushed the Greek force back into Thessaly, where it routed a Greek counterattack and advanced to the Gulf of Volo before the Greeks could put up an adequate defense. At this point the Western powers intervened. The Turks withdrew in exchange for monetary compensation, and were allowed to repatriate some Turkish refugees. The outcome of the campaign served to bolster Abdulhamid's prestige among Ottoman subjects, forestalling the reform movement of the Young Turks. The medal of the Greek war is silver, 24 mm. diameter, worn from a ribbon of four red and three green stripes of equal width. The obverse bears the tughra of Abdulhamid II, surrounded by a laurel wreath, with a distinctive feature: a rose at the bottom of the wreath. The reverse bears the inscription "Greek War Day - Sunday, 23^rd of Zildake (11^th month of the Hejira calendar), 1314". Approximately 130,000 of these medals were awarded."

The medal is in great condition. All the silver suspension devices are intact, and the ribbon is worn but in great shape. I hear it is uncommon to find pieces in this condition. But I admit, I do not know very much about these, so any input would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Alex

[makedon]

Very nice piece! It is the most common of the three Greek-Turkish War medals of the Ottoman period.You can easily find it without suspension, but with a ribbon and the original suspension, it is pretty rare.

Avsar is a well known dealer and collector, always helpful with the others.

He just found two excellent pieces for me, again from Greek-Turkish Wars- the Cretan campaigns of 1869 and 1890.

The 1890 medal is the rarest of the three.

Again, from www.turkishmedals.net, we get the following information:

1^st Crete Medal (Atîk Girid), 1869

Although uprisings among the Greek inhabitants of the island of Crete had been occurring for years, an outright revolt began on May 14, 1866, when a group of Greek citizens demanded lower taxes and changes in the court system. Although their demands were met, Ottoman troops were mobilized immediately, expecting outright rebellion. This became a self fulfilling prophecy, and fighting broke out between Cretan Greeks and Turkish soldiers. Thousands of Greek volunteers arrived on the island from the mainland, and the Greek government appealed to the Western powers to intervene on their behalf. Britain and Austria, however, were opposed to intervention for the time being. Thus, the Ottoman armies achieved one of their most uncompromised victories of the century, settling the affair in 1869. The Empire was able to retain Crete in some form for another 43 years.

The medal is silver, 36 mm in diameter, with the tughra of Abdulaziz on the obverse above a crescent, and a panoramic view of the island of crete on the reverse below the word "Girid" (Crete). At the bottom of the reverse is the date 1285 (1869). The original ribbon color is believed to have been solid red. About 50,000 of these medals were awarded.

[makedon]

2^nd Crete Medal (TarziCedid Girit), 1890

This medal was awarded for the successful suppression of revolts by the Christian population (who constituted a majority) in Crete in 1890. The resulting flood of Christian refugees arriving on the Greek mainland inspired worldwide sympathy for the Greek cause, however, and Abdulhamid II made promises of reforms in order to calm the situation. The suppression of this revolt would prove to be the last successful campaign in Crete by the Ottoman Empire. In 1896 another uprising was crushed violently by the Ottoman government, resulting in a full-scale Greek invasion of Crete and intervention by European powers. The Empire was forced to grant autonomy to Crete, although Crete still remained nominally a Turkish possession until annexed by Greece during the Balkan wars in 1912.

The medal is 23 mm., in gold or silver. The obverse bears the tughra of Abdulhamid II, and the date AH 1308 (1890). The reverse bears the inscription "Medal Specially for the Soldiers of the Ottoman Empire Who Demonstrated Effective and Meritorious Services, as well as Courage and Valor in Crete". The gold class of this medal is one of the rarest Turkish campaign medals, with only about 50 awards. The original ribbon is 20 mm green with narrow red stripes inset from each edge. This appears to have been changed later to a red ribbon with three equal green stripes, as used on the 2nd Yemen and Greek War medals.

Finally, there is another, extremely rare 1st Balkan War medal:

Cruiser Hamidiye Medal (Hamidiye Kruvazoru Humayunu Madalyasi) 1913

This medal was the only commemorative military medal issued for the Balkan War of 1912-1913. The cruiser Hamidiye and its Captain, Rauf Bey, achieved considerable success in the naval battles of this war, sinking several Greek ships and defending the Aegean and Adriatic waters of Turkey. Although the outcome of the war as a whole was a failure for the Ottoman Empire, the exploits of this one ship achieved enough fame to merit this medal.

The medal was struck only in bronze, 31.5 mm in diameter, and was awarded to the 394 crewmen of the Hamidiye. The obverse bore the tughra of Mehmed Reshad, surrounded by a swirling ornamental design reminiscent of waves. On the reverse is an image of the battle cruiser, below which is an ornamental scroll with a blank space where the name of the recipient was engraved. This award was to be passed to the heirs of the recipient upon his death. The ribbon was red with wide green borders.

Next time you come to Greece Alex, e-mail me; it will be my pleasure to meet you!

Dimitris

(Makedon)

[murat2010]

Dear Members,

They are beautiful medals and of exceptional quality, in regards to ember Avsar Ibar, he is a true professional and passionate about his work, i too purchased a rather rare piece in outstanding condition.

Regards to you all

Murat