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Turkish exhibit reveals ‘extraordinary world’ of Ottoman Empire's last caliph

A retrospective of the artwork of Abdulmecid II, Islam’s last caliph, illustrates the dynasty’s fusion of East and West.
Abdulmecid Efendi's (1868-1944) "The Russo-Turkish War."

When Islam’s final caliph, Abdulmecid II, was abruptly exiled by a nascent Turkish Republic, he was forced to abandon paintings he had made of palace intrigue, military campaigns and a dynasty in flux, leaving behind an unrivaled testament of the twilight years of the Ottoman Empire.

Those turbulent times and Abdulmecid’s artistic passions are presented together in “The Prince’s Extraordinary World: Abdulmecid Efendi” at Istanbul’s Sakip Sabanci Museum. Part retrospective, part biography, the 60 artworks and 300 historical documents make up the most comprehensive exhibition to date about the Ottoman crown prince. 

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