Turkish Participation to 1893 chicago Exposition

Turkish Participation to 1893 chicago Exposition

Chicago Exposilion was carricd out in 1893, the 400th annivcrsary of the discovery of America by Columbus, to prove the predominance of the country's economy and culture to the entire world. Ottoman Empire was represented in this international galhering. The participation of the Ottoman Empire was due to a special invitation to Sultan Abdulhamit II by a delegation sent by the United States. The Ottoman Empire, considered as "the Sick Man of Europc" by the whole world established a commission for the exposition to clear up this reputation. An Ottoman subject, Süleyman Bustani Efendi published a monthly newspaper in Turkish during the Chicago Exposition in United States. The 138 photographs found in the National Palaces Photography Collections present a rich visual piece of work on Ottoman participation to the Chicago Exposition, which are elaborated in this article.