Sultan 2. Abdulhamid

The mausoleum of Sultan Abdülhamid II stands in Istanbul and holds the remains of the 34th Ottoman sultan, who ruled from 1876 to 1909. Abdülhamid II occupies a deeply polarizing place in late Ottoman history: he pursued ambitious modernization — building the Baghdad Railway and the Hejaz Railway, restructuring the bureaucracy — while simultaneously suspending the parliament and ruling in an increasingly autocratic manner. His forced abdication by the Young Turks in 1909 preceded the empire's final collapse, cementing his image among admirers as a tragic last steward of a 600-year dynasty. The Ottoman-style tomb features finely carved stone decoration, and the tomb of the prominent intellectual Ziya Gökalp is located nearby. Visitors are expected to remove their shoes before entering; many come to pray, lending the site a distinctly devotional atmosphere.