2020-06-04 Thu

Abdulaziz was the 32nd Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and was the 111th Caliph of Islam reigned between 25 June 1861 and 30 May 1876. He was the son of Sultan Mahmud II and became sultan after the death of his brother Abdulmejid I.

Born at Eyup Palace, Constantinople (present-day Istanbul), on 8 February 1830, Abdulaziz continued the Westernizing reforms that had been initiated by his predecessors until 1871, after which his reign took an absolutist turn. He was the first Ottoman Sultan who traveled to Western Europe, visiting a number of important European capitals including Paris, London, and Vienna in the summer of 1867. He was also interested in literature and was a talented classical music composer.

Under his reign, Turkey's first postage stamps were issued in 1863, and the Ottoman Empire joined the Universal Postal Union in 1875 as a founding member. He also was responsible for the first civil code for the Ottoman Empire.

Abdulaziz was deposed on grounds of mismanaging the Ottoman economy on 30 May 1876 and was found dead six days later under unnatural and mysterious circumstances. Depicted here is a 2 Piastres issued under his reign from Tunis mint. The obverse of a coin depicts the mint name and AH year in Persian script. While the reverse of a coin shows the inscription ‘As Sultan Abdul Aziz Khan’.

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