Fans greet Ottoman sultan's grandson in Istanbul, vow to 'follow his path'
The fourth-generation grandson of Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II, Abdülhamid Kayıhan Osmanoğlu was greeted by a group of fans who chanted "We walk your path" as he arrived in Istanbul on Feb. 10. The fans were members of an organization called "Devlet-i Aliyye Ocakları" that celebrates Ottoman culture. The name means "Organizations of the Great State."
Duvar English
A fourth-generation grandson of Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II, Abdülhamid Kayıhan Osmanoğlu was greeted by a group of fans wearing fezzes and chanting "We walk your path" as he arrived in Istanbul on Feb. 10.
Meeting to mark the 103rd anniversary of the sultan's death, Abdulhamid's fans were members of an organization that the grandson leads, called "Devlet-i Aliyye Ocakları" that celebrates Ottoman culture. The name means "Organizations of the Great State."
"We walk your path my sultan!" the crowds are heard chanting in the recently-surfaced footage outside of the Istanbul mausoleum for Abdul Hamid II, accompanied by a janissary band, a traditional Ottoman music ensemble that used to cheer the empire's troops to war.
Led by the sultan's grandson, the crowd marched to the Hagia Sophia which was opened to Muslim worship by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in 2020, prompting outrage globally.