Historical information

Every sultan of the Ottoman Empire had his own monogram, called the tughra, which served as a royal symbol. A coat of arms in the European heraldic sense was created in the late 19th century. Hampton Court requested from the Ottoman Empire the coat of arms to be included in their collection. As the coat of arms had not been previously used in the Ottoman Empire, it was designed after this request, and the final design was adopted by Sultan Abdul Hamid II on 17 April 1882.

Physical description

The emblem features an ornate cartouche ensigned by a Tughra. The cartouche is surrounded by various elements of the state including two flags, the red flag of the Ottoman dynasty with a star and crescent and the green flag of the Islamic caliph, largely obscured by a cornucopia. Behind the flags are a number of spears and other weapons. Hanging beneath the lower flourish are the medals of five of the Ottoman decorations.