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Ottoman Empire

Imperial Standard
The tughra
Naval Flag
Land flag
Mercantile flag

Imperial standard

image by zeljko heimer, 19-JUN-1996
The flag is red with white device called tughra. Tughra was the imperial personal sign, kind of monogramme, that consisted of delicately intervoven arab letters. The background is pinky red, because it seems to me that this was the actual colour used, and that is the colour used on most paintings I have seen. It might be that actual colour was pure red, but changed through time, or that the real red was hard to aquire.The Tughra must belong to one of the Empirors from before 1863 (year of first Turkish stamps). I have some other books showing some tughra's from the early 12-13th century, but they are not near my hand now. However, I believe that this one shouldn't be so old.
zeljko heimer, 19-JUN-1996
It seems to me the sultan's name is Abd�l Hamid (or 'Abdalhamid in Arab). There have been two of this name: A.H. I at the beginning of the 19th century (not sure!) A.H. II up to world war I (quite sure). Taking into account your stamp criterion the flag might be the one of Abd�l Hamid I.
harald m�ller, 19-JUN-1996

The Tughra

image by goren shaked
Here's Abdul-Hamid's personal signature (Abdul Hamid the second). it is very close to in design to the signature zeljko posted as a flag. please note that the signatures of arab (in this case ottoman) rulers, usually have a heavy tribute to 'allah', and less to themself. this is, probably the reason for the resemblance in the design. I think that tughra is to Mehmed V (1909-1918). The book is published in 1918.
jaume ollé, 21-JUN-1996
This is the signature that is quite similar (if not the same) with those I have seen in stamp catalogues. But, if you take a second look to it, you will see that it is quite diferent from the one showed on my gif. That especially goes for a slaned stroke in the hoist part and complicated strokes in lower part of the signature. This just comfims my theory that the flag I've posted is not Abdul Hamid's. We are still waiting for the second opinion, of the Jaume's suggestion that it might be of Mehmed V.
zeljko heimer, 23-JUN-1996

Naval Flag

by zeliko heimer, 21-JUN-1996
The naval flag of the Sultan is pink with a kind of star in the center (similar to that of Emirate of Afghanistan) with the white mean moon and the star (five tops) in the interior. The flag of the imperial retinue is identical to the naval but with swallow tail.

Land Flag

image by jaume ollé, 16-JUN-1996

Mercantile Flag

image by jaume ollé, 16-JUN-1996