Ottoman Dynasty Visits the Grave of the Prince Who Died in New York 80 Years Ago

July 25, 2015
Written by Admin TOA
Published in Latest

The Head of the Ottoman Dynasty His Imperial Highness Bayazıd and the family members visited, in Queens, the grave of Prince Abdül Kerim, the grandson of Sultan Abdülhamid II, who died in a hotel room in New York under mysterious circumstances 80 years ago. The grave of the Prince in the Queens cemetery, where he was buried 80 years ago, was found in 2006 by TRT film director Kerime Şenyücel, who was shooting a documentary about his grandson Orhan Osmanoğlu and the Dynasty members.

During the visit, along with Prince Osman Bayazıd, Mediha Nami Osmanoğlu de Martinez, the daughter of Abdülhamid II’s grandson Osman Nami Beyzade, and Nejla Chawky Hanım Sultan, the daughter of Fatma Samira Sultan – Abdülmecid I’s grandson’s Süleyman Selim Effendi’s daughter, Joachim (Peter) Schlangand, the husband of the late HIH Princess Iskra Sultan and his wife Gesine Schlangand– were also present.

In 1933, it was planned for Abdülhamid II’s grandson Prince Abdül Kerim to be made the head of a state that was to be created in East Turkistan with the the support of Japan; however, the uprising was suppressed by the Russian army. And so Prince Abdül Kerim left East Turkistan and settled in New York. It was officially stated that he committed suicide in his hotel room in New York but the claims of his family and some facts strengthened the suspicion that he was actually killed by either Chinese or Russian spies.

The German television channel ZDF, which is shooting a series about the longest-lasting dynasties in the world, met with the Ottoman Dynasty members living in the USA at the penthouse of the Marmara Manhattan Hotel for the shooting. During the interview, Osman Bayezıd mentioned again that the mystery about Prince Abdül Kerim has not been solved yet. Mediha Nami Osmanoğlu de Martinez and Nejla Chawky Hanım Sultan also answered ZDF’s questions. The Ottoman Dynasty stands as the only dynasty outside of Europe that is included in the documentary, which will be broadcast on the German channel.