The next one: sold at an Internet auction for a total of almost $5K. I am still smarting.....
It is an Ottoman kilij presented to one W. B. Barham on 9/14/1833 by Mehmet Ali, Wali of Egypt.
Mehmet ( Muhammed) Ali was ethnic Albanian serving Ottoman Sultans. By hook and by crook he became a ruler of Egypt.
He was the one who defeated the Wahhabis in what is now Saudi Arabia. He was the one who invited Mamluk leaders to Cairo for a big party and killed them all, destoying the last vestige of the Mamluk Kingdom. He was the one who conquered Sudan.He was the one who soundly defeated the Ottomans and almost acquired independent Egypt as his kingdom. He was the one who modernized Egypt, built industries, navy and even opened a medical school for women.
I tried in vain to identify Mr. Barham to figure out what kind of service he might have given to Mehmet Ali.
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