London fair promotes book on Ottoman-British ties

By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal

LONDON (AA) - A special photography book shedding light on British-Turkish relations during the reign of the Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II was promoted on the opening day of the London Book Fair on Tuesday.

A reception was held at the fair's Turkey stand to launch “British-Ottoman Relations Through the Yildiz Palace Photography Collection” -- a work published by The Sultan Abdul Hamid II Application and Research Centre in Istanbul’s Yildiz Technical University.

“The political, social, cultural and economic relations of the Ottoman Empire with the world in its final years are examined through the photography collection of Sultan Abdul Hamid II” as part of a special project carried out under the auspices of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey.

Sultan Abdul Hamid II reigned from 1876 to 1909.

The special event had been organized by Turkey’s Culture and Tourism Ministry, London Embassy and the Yunus Emre Institute.

Turkey’s Ambassador to London Abdurrahman Bilgic underlined the significance of the fair as an opportunity to learn about other cultures and to promote Turkey’s culture to the world.

Ayse Gokcen Yucel, Yunus Emre Institute’s culture and arts coordinator, said the book will be distributed by the institute across the U.K.

The international fair with more than 500 stands will continue until April 12 at London’s Olympia exhibition and events center.