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Tyrants of the Tigris & euphrates
347
Ottoman Empire
Gold 100 Kurush, AH 1255//5
‘Abd al-Majid, Ottoman Sultan, AH 1255-1277/AD 1839-1861
KM 679. PCGS AU-58.
Qustantiniyah (7.19gm). Tughra with floral spray and regnal year, stars above, wreath below composed
of olive branches and quivers with arrows; Reverse, ‘
azza nasruhu
, mint and accession date, all within
olive wreath.
‘Abd al-Majid I (1839-1861) was a reformer who initiated a series of reforms that allowed non-Muslim
subjects to better integrate into Ottoman society, However, these reforms came too late. Disenfranchised
ethnic minorities had already begun to rebel against the central government and their was no turning
back. By the beginning of the 20th century, ethnic nationalism had reached a fever pitch. The 1914
assassination of the heir to the Hapsburg Empire by a Serb nationalist in the former Ottoman province of
Bosnia-Herzegovina was the spark that ignited the First World War.
348
Ottoman Empire
Gold Proof 100 Kurush, AH 1277
‘Abd al-’Aziz, Ottoman Sultan, AH 1277-1293/AD 1861-1876
KM 696. PCGS MS-61.
Qustantiniyah (Constantinople) mint. Toughra with regnal year and wreath with cross quivers and
branches below. Rev: Mint and date within wreath, milled edge. (cf. KM. 696.) Definitely not a circu-
lation strike due to the high knife rims, preparation of the planchet and dies along with the proof-like
surfaces. Extremely rare.