Lot 312: A RARE HAMIDIAN ERA PHOTOGRAPH OF FIELD MARSHAL AHMED RATIB PASHA AND INTERNATIONAL DIGNITARIES IN JEDDAH

A RARE HAMIDIAN ERA PHOTOGRAPH OF FIELD MARSHAL AHMED RATIB PASHA AND INTERNATIONAL DIGNITARIES IN JEDDAH

This lot consists of an original late 19th-century sepia-toned photograph and two associated paper identification slips with contemporary handwritten notes in Ottoman Turkish and Arabic script. The group portrait captures a significant administrative and diplomatic gathering in Jeddah, Hejaz Vilayet, during the reign of Sultan Abdul Hamid II. The central figure is Field Marshal (Müşir) Sharif Ahmed Ratib Pasha (1845–1913), the powerful Governor (Vali) of Hejaz. He is depicted in a full-dress Ottoman military tunic featuring elaborate gold bullion embroidery (Sırma) on the collar and chest, and is decorated with several orders, including the breast stars of the Order of the Medjidie and the Order of the Osmanieh.

The accompanying handwritten script identifies the other figures in the assembly. To the Governor’s right stands a figure identified as Nusrat Hindi Pasha, wearing a traditional Indian turban and an ornate coat, representing Indian Muslim interests or royalty in the Hejaz. Also identified is the Prussian Consul (Shabandar), reflecting the German Empire’s increasing influence in the Ottoman provinces during this period. Other individuals include Qaimaqam (Lieutenant Colonel) Riza Pasha, Sayyid al-Mirza, and a young boy described as the son of the Commander-in-Chief (Sepahsalar). The group displays a variety of period headwear, including the Ottoman fez and traditional turbans, and several officers carry military sabres. This assembly serves as a rare documentary record of the cosmopolitan and political landscape of the Hejaz prior to the Young Turk Revolution.