Guidebook for the visitors of the Ottoman Military Museum

Müze-i Askerî-i Osmanî Züvvârına Mahsûs Rehber (Guidebook for the visitors of the Ottoman Military Museum) was written by Sermed Muhtar Alus while he was employed at the Ottoman Military Museum. The guidebook, which was published in three parts between 1920 and 1922, constitutes a work exceeding the characteristics of an ordinary museum guidebook. Alongside the part on the museum collections, Alus’ guidebook includes sections on the foundation of the Ottoman Military Museum, military history of the Ottoman Empire and Europe, history of arms and armor, and the historical development of the Ottoman military organization. Alus also reserved an introductory section on the history of the church of Saint Irene which first served as an armory and then as a museum in the Ottoman times. Rich content of the guidebook had much to do with polymath character of Sermed Muhtar Alus as much as with the influence of his father, Ahmed Muhtar Pasha, who was the director of the Ottoman military museum as well as a pioneering figure in Ottoman military history writing. Such attributes make the guidebook an important source not only for the history of the Ottoman Military Museum and its collection but also for Ottoman military history writing. It is no coincidence that Alus’ guidebook was the main source for authors who has written on the history of the Ottoman military museum. The first part of the book gives detailed information on the museum building (the church of Saint Irene) and the foundation of the Ottoman Military Museum. This part, which was the shortest of the three parts constituting the guidebook, starts with the history of the church of Saint Irene and develops into a synopsis of the history of the Eastern Roman Empire. After a discussion of the architecture of the Saint Irene, Sermed Muhtar Alus ends the first part with the foundation and historical development of the Ottoman Military Museum. The second part of the guidebook starts with the history of Ottoman military organization and its development. A detailed discussion of military dress and styles of different corps and their choice of weapons follows the section on military organization. Alus then shifts his attention to the emergence and development of firearms in Europe and the Ottoman Empire. Here Alus employs a comparative approach; his discussion of the evolution of Ottoman firearms goes hand in hand with his discussion of the evolution of firearms in Europe. This is important in itself as we still do not have enough efforts which put Ottoman military history into a comparative perspective. The second part continues with a section on military equipment and logistical aspects of the Ottoman military. The second part ends with a discussion on mobilization and campaign organization of Ottoman armies. The third part of book is the closest that Alus’ text gets to a museum guidebook. This part focuses on the collection of military uniforms and dresses hosted by the Ottoman Military Museum. This part begins with introducing the collection known as the Ancient Costumes (Elbise-i Atika) or more popularly as the House of Janissary Costumes (Yeniçeri Kıyafethanesi). Alus gives detailed information on the costumes and functions of Ottoman officials, palace servants and military classes before the modernizing reforms of Sultan Mahmud II. He then goes on discussing the military reforms and organizational chances which took place after the abolition of the Janissary Corps (1826). Alus also added some gravures from the lithographic album (Elbice-i Atika) of Jean Brindesi to illustrate traditional Ottoman official costumes. The third part ends with the descriptions of modern Ottoman military uniforms used during the reigns of Mahmud II, Abdülmecid, Abdülaziz, Abdulhamid II and the Second Constitutional Era.